A passport might be your ticket to exploring the world, but it turns out some are a little happier than others — and New Zealand has plenty to smile about.
The Kiwi travel document has placed eighth in the world in a new global index ranking the world's "happiest passports", ahead of Australia, the UK and the US.
The 2026 Happy Passports Index, compiled by migration firm Global Citizen Solutions, ranked 50 countries based on a combination of happiness, quality of life and international travel opportunities.
Unlike traditional passport rankings, which focused largely on how many destinations holders could visit without a visa, the study also considered factors such as wellbeing, personal freedom, prosperity and health and safety.
Finland claimed the "happiest passport" title with a score of 93.2 out of 100, followed closely by Iceland on 92.4 and Denmark on 92.1.
Norway and Switzerland rounded out the top five, followed by Sweden and the Netherlands and New Zealand, with a score of 84.4. Austria and Singapore completed the top 10.
New Zealand scored 23.5 points for international mobility, 23 for freedom at home, 19 for both prosperity and health and safety, and 18.8 for wellbeing.
European countries dominated the global rankings, accounting for eight of the top 10 positions, with New Zealand and Singapore the only countries outside Europe to feature.
Australia placed 12th in the global list, while the UK came in 17th. The US was further down the list in 28th place.
Researchers found that having one of the world's most powerful passports did not necessarily translate to greater happiness.
Portugal and Greece held passports ranked among the world's 10 strongest, but placed considerably lower in measures of life satisfaction.
Meanwhile, countries such as Costa Rica and Israel recorded high levels of happiness despite having passports with comparatively limited international travel access.
In many cases, the two did align. New Zealand's passport was ranked the eighth happiest and the joint seventh strongest globally, reflecting its relatively high level of international travel access.
Global Citizen Solutions lead researcher Dr Laura Madrid said the findings highlighted the importance of freedom beyond simply being able to cross borders.
"Among wealthier countries, our briefing finds that happiness correlates far more strongly with freedom than with passport strength," she told the Daily Mail UK.
"That is because a passport offers something different: choice beyond the border."
The findings suggested that while international mobility remained valuable, the freedoms and opportunities available to people in their home countries were also important measures of overall happiness.
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