Singapore tops list of most powerful passports in the world, US drops out of top 10

For the first time in two decades, the US has dropped out of the world’s top 10 most powerful passports, marking a significant dethroning for the global superpower.

According to the latest Henley Passport Index, a ranking that measures how many countries a traveler can visit without needing a visa, the US passport now ranks 12th globally, with acess to 180 of the 227 countries and territories tracked, tying with Malaysia.

Just last year, the US was in seventh place, before slipping to 10th in July of this year. Ten years ago, it was at the top of the list.

There are several reasons why the U.S. has experienced a rapid decline, most of which are related to the Trump Administration’s strict new immigration guidelines.  

Three East Asian countries now top the list of the most powerful passports, with Singapore, South Korea, and Japan having visa-free access to 193, 190, and 189 countries, respectively. Germany, Luxembourg and Italy are all tied for fourth place 

Belgium, France, Ireland, Netherlands are all tied in fifth with 187 visa-free destinations. 

Greece ranks sixth with access to 186 countries, while Turkey is listed at rank 51, with visa-free access to 113 countries.

The United Kingdom also dropped to its lowest ever spot from 6th to 8th, its lowest since 2015. China, climbed sharply from 94th in 2015 to 64th in 2025, gaining access to 37 additional destinations through strategic diplomacy across Europe, South America, Russia, and the Gulf. 

Cyprus ranks 14 out of 199 in this year’s international Henley passport index, having dropped from the 12th place in 2024. Cypriots can currently travel to 178 destinations.

Nigeria is ranked 96th, tied with Ethiopia, Lebanon, and Myanmar, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to just 44 countries.  

Afghanistan remains the least powerful passport, with access to just 24 countries, followed by Syria (26) and Iraq (29). The gap between the strongest and weakest passports now spans 169 destinations. 

2025 global passport index top 10

1. Singapore — 193 visa-free destinations.

2. South Korea — 190 visa-free destinations.

3. Japan — 189 visa-free destinations.

4. Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland — 188 visa-free destinations.

5. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands — 187 visa-free destinations.

6. Greece, Hungry, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden — 186 visa-free destinations.

7. Australia, Czechia, Malta, Poland — 185 visa-free destinations.

8. Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, UAE, U.K. — 184 visa-free destinations.

9. Canada — 183 visa-free destinations.

10. Latvia, Liechtenstein — 182 visa-free destinations.

10 least powerful passports

106. Afghanistan — 24 visa-free destinations.

105. Syria — 26 visa-free destinations.

104. Iraq — 29 visa-free destinations.

103. Pakistan, Yemen — 31 visa-free destinations.

102. Somalia — 33 visa-free destinations.

101. Nepal — 36 visa-free destinations.

100. Bangladesh, North Korea — 38 visa-free destinations.

99. Eritrea, Libya, Palestinian territory — 39 visa-free destinations.

98. Iran, Sri Lanka, Sudan — 41 visa-free destinations.

97. Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan — 43 visa-free destinations.