The world’s most powerful passports for 2025 have been revealed, but the US and UK have dropped down the list compared to last year.
The global ranking indicates the number of countries that citizens from around the world can enter without a visa.
This year, Singapore boasts the world’s most powerful passport, and its citizens can visit a staggering 195 destinations out of 227 worldwide without a visa.
The British passport has fallen from fourth to fifth place over the last year after ranking first in the index in 2015.
Its citizens, along with those of Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland and Portugal, can visit 190 countries without a visa.
The United States also fell in the ranking, from seventh to ninth place, with visa-free access to 186 countries. But it is still some way off its ranking from 2014, when it ranked first alongside the United Kingdom.
Also on the index’s list of losers is Canada, which fell three places in the last decade, from fourth to seventh today. Australia maintained its position, in sixth place, with visa-free access to 189 countries.
The list has been prepared by the Henley Passport Indexwhich is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It analyzes how many countries a passport holder can enter without a prior visa.
The British passport has fallen from fourth to fifth place over the last year after ranking first in the index in 2015.
This year, Singapore (pictured) boasts the world’s most powerful passport, and its citizens can visit a staggering 195 destinations out of 227 worldwide without a visa.
The latest study reveals that Japan (pictured) has the second most powerful passport in the world with visa-free access to 193 countries.
The latest study reveals that Japan has the second most powerful passport in the world with visa-free access to 193 countries.
The populations of Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and South Korea (joint third) can access 192 countries without a visa. Four of these countries (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) fell two places compared to last year’s index.
A cohort of seven EU countries, all with visa-free access to 191 destinations (Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden) share fourth place.
The rest of the index Top 10 is largely dominated by EU countries, except Australia, Canada, the US and the United Arab Emirates, one of the countries that have risen the most in the last decade, having achieved 72 destinations additional since 2015 to rank tenth. place with visa-free access to 185 destinations around the world.
Afghanistan remains entrenched at the bottom of the index, with a visa-free access score of just 26 (compared to 28 last year), creating the largest mobility gap in the index’s 19-year history, and Singaporeans They can travel to 169 more destinations. visa-free than Afghan passport holders.
Christian Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, said: “The very notion of citizenship and its lottery of birthrights needs a fundamental rethinking as temperatures rise, natural disasters become more frequent and severe, displace communities and make their environments uninhabitable.
“At the same time, political instability and armed conflicts in several regions force countless people to flee their homes in search of safety and refuge.”
Afghanistan is followed Syria (27), Iraq (31), Yemen (33), Pakistan (33) and Somalia (35), which together make up the six weakest passports in the world.
The populations of Finland (pictured), France, Germany, Italy, Spain and South Korea (joint third) can access 192 countries without a visa.
The United States also fell in the ranking, from seventh to ninth place, with visa-free access to 186 countries. But it is still far from its 2014 ranking, when it ranked first alongside the United Kingdom.
The Palestinian Territory is slightly ahead with a visa-free access score of 40, ranking 100th alongside Libya and Bangladesh.
By contrast, China is among the biggest climbers, rising from 94th in 2015 to 60th in 2025, with its visa exemption score increasing in 40 destinations.
The Henley Passport Index includes 199 passports, providing users with extensive and reliable information about their global access and mobility.
With historical data spanning 19 years and regularly updated expert analysis of the latest changes in passport power, the index is an invaluable resource for global citizens and the standard reference tool for government policies in this field.