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Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world, according to the 2025 Henley Passport Index.
The nation-state was one of six countries that tied for first place in 2024 in the list produced by migration consultancy Henley & Partners, which ranks passports by the number of destinations holders can access without needing to visa
Singapore beat out five other countries – Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain and France – with its citizens granted visa-free access to 195 out of 227 global destinations, according to the ranking released on Wednesday.
Japan is ranked No. 2, with visa-free access to 193 places, while the four European countries that were tied for first place last year, plus Finland and South Korea, share third place, with each granted to passport holders the ability to visit. 192 destinations without the need for a visa.
Countries in Europe, plus New Zealand, dominate the rest of the top 20 list.
U Henley Passport Index uses data from the International Air Transport Association to rank 199 passports worldwide.
“Visa-free,” according to the index, includes situations where no visa is required, or when easier entry documents, such as visas on arrival, visitor permits and electronic travel authorities, are required.
Climbers and climbers
The United Arab Emirates is one of the “biggest climbers” on the list, according to a press release, having gained visa-free access to 72 destinations in the last decade, for a total of 185 destinations worldwide.
It is just behind the United States, whose citizens can visit 186 places without the need for a visa, according to the ranking.
The United States is one of 22 places where passports have fallen in the index over the past 10 years, he said.
“Surprisingly, the United States is second largest fall between 2015 and 2025 after Venezuela, dropping seven places from 2nd to its current 9th position,” the release said.
Passports from the UK – which topped the list in 2015 – and Canada also fell, he said.
China has risen in the rankings to land in 60th place in 2025. Its openness to other countries has also increased greatly, with China now allowing citizens from 58 destinations to visit visa-free – half of which were added in the past year – according to the Henley Openness Index.
The bottom of the list
Afghanistan is again considered to have the weakest passport on the list. It was ranked last for granting access to only 26 of 227 destinations. Its citizens can visit places like Cambodia, Maldives, Djibouti, Sri Lanka and Haiti without needing to get a visa.
The gap between the strongest and weakest passports on the list is the largest in the 19-year history of the index, according to Henley & Partners. Singaporeans can visit 169 more places than Afghans without needing a visa, he says.
After Afghanistan, the weakest passports on the list are those of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Nepal, the Palestinian territories, Libya and Bangladesh, each of which is below North Korea, that its citizens can visit 41 destinations in the world. the ranking.
