One Country Has the Strongest Passport in the World—While Dozens of Others Are Losing Their Power

Singapore is once again at the top of the newly released edition of the Henley Passport Index, a ranking of the world’s passports in order of the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a visa before arrival. With the exception of the United Arab Emirates and Croatia, every other country in the top 10 spots has dropped in the rankings since January 2025, including the United States. Although Singapore remains the the most powerful passport, the number of visa-free countries its citizens can enter has gone from 195 to 193.

Japan and South Korea came in second place with 190 destinations (down from 193 and 192, respectively). Seven countries came in joint third place with visa-free access to 189 destinations (each down two or three points): Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain.

The United States came in tenth with access to 182 destinations (down from 186). The United States was once number one on the index, in 2014.

“Notably, the U.S. is now on the brink of exiting the Top 10 altogether for the first time in the index’s 20-year history,” stated an accompanying press release for the July 2025 edition of the Henley Global Mobility Report. Christian H. Kaelin, who invented the passport index concept in 2006, added: “The consolidation we’re seeing at the top underscores that access is earned—and must be maintained—through active and strategic diplomacy. Nations that proactively negotiate visa waivers and nurture reciprocal agreements continue to rise, while the opposite applies to those that are less engaged in such efforts.”

There’s a wide gap between access offered at the top versus the bottom of the list. Afghanistan is currently last in the rankings, at 99th place, since its passport holders get access to 25 destinations. Syria and Iraq ranked only slightly higher, with access to 27 and 30 destinations, respectively.

How is the list determined?

The list is created by Henley & Partners, a London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm. Using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the list ranks the passports of 199 countries and their ability to travel to 227 possible destinations (including territories annexed to other countries, like French Polynesia and the British Virgin Islands).

According to the Henley Passport Index, 2025’s most powerful passports in the world are:

• Singapore (193 destinations)
• Japan, South Korea (190 destinations)
• Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain (189 destinations)
• Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden (188 destinations)
• Greece, New Zealand, Switzerland (187 destinations)
• United Kingdom (186 destinations)
• Australia, Czechia, Hungary, Malta, Poland (185 destinations)
• Canada, Estonia, United Arab Emirates (184 destinations)
• Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (183 destinations)
• Iceland, Lithuania, United States (182 destinations)

Another passport ranking list

Henley & Partners isn’t the only company that indexes the strength of global passports. The Passport Index by Arton takes into account the same 199 passports as the Henley Index in its rankings, but it excludes territories annexed to other countries. This list also updates its rankings in real time and considers factors such as visa requirements and a country’s standard of living, determined by the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index. So Arton’s rankings are slightly different.

According to Arton Capital, here’s how 2025’s most powerful passports in the world rank:

• United Arab Emirates (179 destinations)
• Spain (176 destinations)
• Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Switzerland (175 destinations)
• Hungary, Poland, South Korea, Sweden (174 destinations)
• Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Japan, Liechtenstein, Slovakia (173 destinations)
• Latvia, New Zealand, Slovenia (172 destinations)
• Bulgaria, Iceland, Lithuania, Malta, Romania (171 destinations)
• Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Malaysia, United Kingdom (170 destinations)
• United States (169 destinations)
• Monaco (168 destinations)

To see the full rankings, visit henleypassportindex.com and passportindex.com.

This article was most recently published on July 25, 2024, and was updated with new information on July 29, 2025.