Singapore has retained its position as the holder of the world’s most powerful passport, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. Singaporean passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 195 destinations out of 227 around the globe, securing the nation’s top spot once again.
World’s Most Powerful Passport Index
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- Singapore has retained its position as the holder of the world’s most powerful passport, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. Singaporean passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 195 destinations out of 227 around the globe, securing the nation’s top spot once again.
Henley Passport Index
- In second place is Japan, whose passport now provides access to 193 destinations. This marks a significant recovery for Japan after regaining visa-free access to neighbouring China for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted.
- The third position is shared by several EU member states, including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as Finland and South Korea. Citizens from these nations can travel to 192 destinations without the need for a prior visa.
- Notably, the United States has fallen to the ninth position, a sharp contrast to its traditional dominance in the rankings a decade ago, where it frequently held the first or second spot.
- A seven-nation EU cohort, all with visa-free access to 191 destinations — Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden — share 4th place, while five countries — Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, and the UK — come in 5th with 190 visa-free destinations.
- Rest of the index’s Top 10 is largely dominated by European countries, except for Australia (6th place with 189 destinations), Canada (7th place with 188 destinations), the US (9th place with 186 destinations), and the UAE, the first and only Arab state to ever make it into the upper echelons of the rankings.
- The UAE is one of the biggest climbers on the index over the past decade, having secured access to an additional 72 destinations since 2015, enabling it to climb 32 places to 10th spot with visa-free access to 185 destinations worldwide.
- India has seen a drop in its ranking, falling from the 80th position last year to 85th in 2025. For over nearly two decades, India’s ranking has experienced considerable fluctuation. Its highest rank of 71 was achieved in 2006, but the nation has faced consistent declines, particularly between 2015 and 2021.
- China has made significant progress over the years, rising from 94th in 2015 to 60th in 2025. This improvement can be attributed to the lifting of pandemic-era restrictions and increased diplomatic efforts to enhance travel agreements.
- Conversely, at the bottom of the rankings are Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, whose passports offer limited global mobility. In terms of openness, Singapore’s passport not only provides unparalleled access to other nations but also allows visa-free entry to citizens from 164 countries.
- Pakistan offers visa-free access to 64 nations, while China extends the same privilege to citizens of 58 countries. In contrast, India permits visa-free entry to nationals from only five countries – Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles.
- Only 22 of the world’s 199 passports have fallen down the Henley Passport Index ranking over the past decade. Surprisingly, the US is the second-biggest faller between 2015 and 2025 after Venezuela, plummeting seven places from 2nd to its current 9th position.
- Vanuatu is the third-biggest faller, losing six places from 48th to 54th position, followed by the British passport, which was top of the index in 2015 but now sits in 5th place. Completing the Top 5 losers list is Canada, which dropped three ranks over the past decade from 4th to its current 7th place.
- At the bottom of the Henley Passport Index is Afghanistan, whose citizens have lost visa-free access to two more destinations over the past year. This extends the mobility gap between its and countries like Singapore. In 2025, Singaporeans enjoy visa-free access to 169 more destinations than Afghan passport holders, who need a visa to enter all but 26 destinations in the world.
