According to the 2025 Henley Passport Index, Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world.
The nation-state is one of six countries tied for top spot in a 2024 list compiled by immigration consultancy Henley & Partners, which ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can travel to without a visa.
Singapore is ahead of five other countries – Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain and France – whose citizens gain visa-free access to 195 of 227 destinations around the world, according to rankings released on Wednesday.
Japan ranks second, with visa-free travel to 193 countries, while the four European countries that tied for first place last year, plus Finland and South Korea, are tied for third, each allowing passport holders to travel to 192 destinations without a visa. .
European countries and New Zealand dominate the rest of the top 20 list.
this Henry Passport Index Ranking of 199 passports from around the world using data from the International Air Transport Association.
According to the index, “visa-free” includes situations where a visa is not required, or where entry documents need to be more easily obtained, such as visas on arrival, visitor permits and electronic travel documents.
climbers and fallers
The United Arab Emirates is one of the “biggest risers” on the list, gaining visa-free access to 72 destinations over the past decade, bringing the global total to 185, according to a press release.
According to the ranking, it is second only to the United States, whose citizens can visit 186 countries without a visa.
The report said the United States was one of 22 countries whose passport index declined over the past decade.
“Surprisingly, the United States is Second largest decline Between 2015 and 2025, it fell seven places from second place behind Venezuela to its current ninth position,” the press release said.
The report said the number of British and Canadian passports, which topped the list in 2015, also declined.
By 2025, China’s ranking will rise to 60th. Henry Openness Index.
bottom of list
The gap between the strongest and weakest passports on the list is the largest in the index’s 19-year history, according to Henley & Partners. The report said Singaporeans can visit 169 more places than Afghans without a visa.
After Afghanistan, the weakest passports on the list are those from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Nepal, the Palestinian territories, Libya and Bangladesh, all of which rank lower than North Korea, whose citizens have access to the world 41 destinations.
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