Singapore has reclaimed its title as the world’s most powerful passport for 2025. But what does that really mean—and how does yours stack up?
On Wednesday, January 8, 2025, the 2025 Henley Passport Index was released, ranking the world’s 199 passports. The Henley Passport Index, compiled by consultancy firm Henley & Partners, is the most frequently cited passport ranking and is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). For this list, the primary deciding factor in determining how “powerful” a passport is is how many countries are accessible and visa-free for a nation’s citizens.
Singapore passport holders can currently travel visa-free to a total of 195 out of 227 destinations around the globe, giving its citizens more unrestricted travel access than anywhere else in the world. Close behind, runner-up Japan climbed from third to second place in the 2025 ranking. The Japanese passport unlocks visa-free access to 193 nations, a total that now includes China for the first time since COVID-19.
Six countries—Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Spain—are tied at third place with visa-free access to 192 destinations globally. In fourth place, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden are also tied, with their citizens enjoying travel to 191 destinations without needing a visa.
The United Arab Emirates, in tenth place, remains the only Arab nation to have secured a spot in the top 10 ranking, meaning its passport holders can travel visa-free to 185 destinations worldwide. UAE passport holders have seen a major improvement in global mobility over the past decade, and have gained access to an additional 72 destinations since 2015.
Meanwhile, the US passport, dropping from second place in 2015 to its current ranking in ninth place, has become less powerful over the past decade. The British passport has also diminished in power in recent years, and is now ranked in fifth place. It has been over a decade since the UK and the US jointly held first place on the index in 2014.
Global mobility trends for 2025
While many countries have seen improved travel access in recent years, others have dropped in the ranking. In last place on the list, Afghanistan has lost visa-free access to two more countries over the last year, bringing its total to a mere 26 destinations. This has created the largest mobility gap in the 19 years since the index has existed, with Singapore citizens permitted visa-free travel to a whopping 169 more destinations than Afghan passport holders. Simply put, the concept of “passport privilege” has never been more significant when it comes to the freedom to travel.
“The very notion of citizenship and its birthright lottery needs a fundamental rethink as temperatures rise and natural disasters become more frequent and severe, displacing communities and rendering their environments uninhabitable,” Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, said in a news release. “Simultaneously, political instability and armed conflicts in various regions force countless people to flee their homes in search of safety and refuge.”
