The world’s most powerful passports for 2025 revealed

Singapore has the world's most powerful passport, according to the latest Henley & Partners Passport Index. 

Residents of the city-state have visa-free access to 195 of those destinations, putting it in first place. Last year, Singapore shared the top spot with Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Spain – marking the first time six countries held the title together.

The top 10 list is dominated by European countries, with Japan, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Spain all securing spots. The UAE has made significant strides, climbing 32 places to secure the 10th spot, with visa-free access to 185 destinations worldwide.

The Index, based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.

Passports are ranked based on the number of destinations holders can access visa-free.

New Zealand also stays strong in the rankings with visa-free access to 190 destinations, placing it in joint fifth alongside Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

In a surprising turn of events, the US has plummeted seven places from 2nd to 9th, with experts attributing this decline to the country's increasingly inward-looking and isolationist political trends. 

On the other end of the spectrum, countries like Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan continue to face significant travel restrictions, with limited visa-free access to destinations worldwide. 

Afghanistan, in particular, remains at the bottom of the Henley Passport Index, with its passport holders facing the largest mobility gap in the index's 19-year history with access to just 26 of these destinations without a visa. It lost visa-free access to two more destinations over the past year, which has created the largest gap between the top ranked country and the bottom in the history of the index.

India's ranking has experienced fluctuations over the years, reaching its highest rank of 71st in 2006.

2025's most powerful passport by Henley & Partners

1. Singapore (195 destinations)
2. Japan (193 destinations)
3. Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain (192 destinations)
4. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden (191 destinations)
5. Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190 destinations)
6. Australia, Greece (189 destinations)
7. Canada, Malta, Poland (188 destinations)
8. Czechia, Hungary (187 destinations)
9. Estonia, United States (186 destinations)
10. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates (185 destinations)