Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world, according to the 2025 Henley Passport Index.
The nation-state was one of six countries tied for first place in 2024 on the list compiled by immigration consultancy Henley & Partners, which ranks passports by the number of destinations their holders can reach without needing a visa.
Singapore moved ahead of the other five countries – Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain and France – with its citizens granted visa-free access to 195 out of 227 global destinations, according to the rankings published on Wednesday.
Japan ranks second, with visa-free access to 193 locations, while the four European countries that tied for first place last year, plus Finland and South Korea, share third place, each giving passport holders the ability to visit. 192 destinations without the need for a visa.
European countries, in addition to 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 the world's 199 passports.
“Visa-free,” according to the index, includes situations where a visa is not required, or where entry documents are easier to obtain, such as visas on arrival, visitor permits and electronic travel authorities.
Climbers and fallers
The UAE is one of the “biggest climbers” on the list, according to a press release, having gained visa-free access to 72 destinations in the past decade, for a total of 185 destinations worldwide.
It comes directly after the United States, whose citizens can visit 186 places without needing a visa, according to the classification.
She added that the United States is one of 22 places where passports have fallen in the index over the past 10 years.
“Surprisingly, the United States is The second largest faller Between 2015 and 2025, after Venezuela, it dropped seven places from second place to its current ninth place.
She added that passports from the UK – which topped the list in 2015 – and Canada also declined.
China rose in the rankings to rank 60th in 2025. Its openness to other countries has also increased significantly, with China now allowing citizens from 58 destinations to visit without a visa – half of which were added in the past year – according to Henley openness index.
Below the list
Afghanistan is once again the weakest passport on the list. It ranked last in granting access to only 26 destinations out of 227 destinations. Its citizens can visit places such as Cambodia, the Maldives, Djibouti, Sri Lanka and Haiti without the need to obtain a visa.
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. Singaporeans can visit 169 more places than Afghans without needing 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, each of which ranks lower than North Korea, whose citizens can visit 41 destinations around the world. According to Reuters. Ranking.
