What is the most powerful passport in the world? It’s Singapore again
According to the 2025 Henley Passport Index, Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world.
The nation was one of six countries to top the 2024 list by state-run migration consultancy Henley & Partners, which is ranked by the number of destinations passport holders can access without requiring a visa.
Singapore beat five other countries – Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain and France – to grant its citizens visa-free access to 195 out of 227 global destinations, according to the ranking published on Wednesday.
Japan is No. 2 with 193 visa-free access, followed by the four European countries that took first place last year, plus Finland and South Korea sharing third place, each allowing passport holders to visit. 192 destinations without requiring a visa.
European countries, plus New Zealand, dominate the rest of the top 20 list.
The Henley Passport Index It uses data from the International Air Transport Association to rank 199 passports worldwide.
“Visa-free,” according to the index, includes situations where a visa is not required or where more readily available documents are required for entry, such as visas on arrival, visitor permits and electronic travel authorities.
Climbers and descenders
The United Arab Emirates is one of the “biggest climbers” on the list, according to a press release, gaining visa-free access to 72 destinations over the past decade, for a total of 185 destinations worldwide.
According to the rating, it is slightly behind the United States, whose citizens can go to 186 places without the need for a visa.
It was said that the USA is one of the 22 places where passports have fallen in the index in the last 10 years.
“Surprisingly, the US second largest falling “Between 2015 and 2025, it dropped seven places after Venezuela from the 2nd place to the current 9th position,” the statement said.
The passports of Great Britain and Canada, which topped the list in 2015, also fell.
China rose in the rankings in 2025 to 60th place. Its openness to other countries has also increased significantly, with China now allowing visa-free travel for citizens from 58 countries, half of which were added last year. Henley Openness Index.
Bottom of the list
Afghanistan is again considered to have the weakest passport on the list. It ranked last to allow access to only 26 out of 227 destinations. Its citizens can visit places like Cambodia, the Maldives, Djibouti, Sri Lanka and Haiti without a visa.
According to Henley & Partners, the gap between the strongest and weakest passports on the list is the largest in the index’s 19-year history. Singaporeans can visit 169 more places than Afghans can without requiring a visa.
After Afghanistan, the weakest passports on the list are Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Nepal, the Palestinian territories, Libya and Bangladesh, each of which is lower than North Korea, whose citizens can travel to 41 countries around the world. rating.
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