US now only has 10th most powerful passport in world...with top three nations now all in Asia
Americans once held the strongest passport for visa-free entry, with the US most recently topping the list in 2014.
According to the latest ranking, it has now dropped down to tenth place.
The list has been produced by the Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It analyzes how many countries a passport holder can enter without a prior visa.
In what has been a downward trend, the US is now tied with Iceland and Lithuania with 182 destinations.
The three most powerful passports are all from Asian countries, with Singapore 's passport – allowing visa-free entry to 193 destinations - holding the top spot.
Next, Japan and South Korea are tied with 190 destinations.
In third place, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain - all countries in the European Union - tie with 189 possible destinations.
The UK and US have each dropped a place in the global passport rankings since January, with the British passport - which topped the rankings in 2015, slipping from fifth to sixth place, with 186 destinations.
At the opposite end of the global mobility spectrum, Afghanistan is still at the bottom, with its citizens able to access just 25 destinations without a prior visa.
This makes for a staggering mobility gap of 168 destinations between the top-and bottom-ranked passports.
As for biggest risers, the UAE continues to be a standout, shooting up 34 places over the last 10 years from 42nd to eighth place.
China is also quickly moving up the rankings, rising 34 places from 94 to 60 since 2015 - an especially impressive feat, considering China has not yet gained visa-free access to Europe's Schengen Area.
Meanwhile, the biggest faller on these rankings is Venezuela, which plunged 15 places from 30 to 45.
Christian H. Kaelin, who is credited with creating the index, said in a news release that the latest findings highlight an 'increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility,' with the most successful countries demonstrating proactive efforts to engage with others.
Dr. Juerg Steffen, Chief Executive Officer at Henley & Partners, says this trend is reshaping the investment migration landscape.
'Americans are now leading the demand worldwide for alternative residence and citizenship options, with British nationals also among the top five globally.
'As the US and UK adopt increasingly inward-looking policies, we're witnessing a marked rise in interest from their citizens seeking greater global access and security.
'Your passport is no longer just a travel document - it's a reflection of your country's diplomatic influence and international relationships.
'In an era of growing inequality and mounting geopolitical uncertainty, strategic mobility and citizenship planning are more critical than ever.'
THE HENLEY PASSPORT POWER INDEX GLOBAL RANKING 2025
Singapore 193 (visa-free destinations)
Japan, South Korea 190
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain 189
Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden 188
Greece, New Zealand, Switzerland 187
United Kingdom 186
Australia, Czechia, Hungary, Malta, Poland 185
Canada, Estonia, UAE 184
Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia 183
Iceland, Lithuania, United States 182
Liechtenstein, Malaysia 181
Cyprus 178
Bulgaria, Monaco, Romania 177
Chile 176
Andorra 171
Argentina, Brazil, San Marino 170
Hong Kong 169
Israel 168
Brunei 164
Barbados 163
Bahamas 159
Mexico 158
Uruguay 157
Seychelles, St Vincent and the Grenadines 156
St. Kitts and Nevis, Vatican City 154
Antigua and Barbuda 152
Costa Rica, Mauritius 149
Panama, Trinidad and Tobago 148
Grenada, Ukraine 147
Paraguay, St. Lucia 146
Macao 144
Dominica, Peru 143
Taiwan 139
Serbia 138
El Salvador 135
Guatemala, Solomon Islands 134
Colombia, Honduras 132
North Macedonia 130
Samoa, Tonga 129
Marshall Islands, Montenegro 128
Nicaragua, Tuvula 127
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau Islands 123
Albania 122
Moldova 121
Venezuela 119
Russian Federation, Türkiye 114
Qatar 112
South Africa 103
Belize 102
Kuwait 100
Timor-Leste 96
Ecuador 94
Maldives 93
Guyana, Saudi Arabia, Vanuatu 91
Bahrain, Fiji 90
Jamaica, Oman 88
Nauru 87
Papua New Guinea 86
Botswana 85
China 83
Kosovo 82
Belarus, Thailand 81
Kazakhstan, Namibia 79
Bolivia, Suriname 78
Lesotho 76
eSwatini, Indonesia 74
Dominican Republic, Malawi, Morocco 73
Azerbaijan 72
Kenya, The Gambia 71
Tanzania 70
Armenia, Benin, Cape Verde Islands, Ghana, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia 67
Mongolia, Philippines, Sierra Leone 65
Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, Zimbabwe 63
Mozambique, Uzbekistan 62
Sao Tome and Principe 61
Cuba, Togo 60
Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, India, Senegal 59
Gabon, Madagascar 58
Guinea, Mauritania, Niger 57
Equatorial Guinea, Tajikistan, 56
Algeria, Mali 55
Guinea-Bissau 54
Cambodia, Chad, Comoro Islands, Haiti 52
Bhutan, Central African Republic, Jordan, Liberia, Vietnam 51
Cameroon, Egypt, Turkmenistan 49
Angola, Burundi, Congo, Laos 48
Djibouti 47
Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria 45
Lebanon 44
Congo (Democratic Republic), South Sudan 43
Iran, Sri Lanka 42
Sudan 41
North Korea 40
Bangladesh, Eritrea, Palestinian Territory 39
Libya, Nepal 38
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen 32
Iraq 30
Syria 27
Afghanistan 25
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
British Airways: ‘Yes, you can travel a few hours earlier – for an extra £900'
The musicians struck up on Friday afternoon in the middle of the airside departures level at Heathrow Terminal 5. The guitar and double bass combo were called The Cash Cows – a name which will raise a hollow laugh from airline bosses who say the French, Qatari, Saudi and Australian owners of the UK's biggest airport enjoy a licence to print money. The first song, as I recall, was Brown Eyed Girl. Van Morrison 's classic contains the line 'In the misty morning fog'. But outside the skies were clear and air-traffic controllers were coping with the busiest day of the year so far. Entertaining though the band was, I wished I was halfway to Istanbul. And, as I discovered later, someone else would have been glad if I had been airborne. The back story: I had paid £266 for the early evening British Airways flight to Turkey's largest city. There was an afternoon flight, but it was priced at over £400. And besides, work commitments meant I probably wouldn't make it to the airport on time. For once, the Tube and Elizabeth line journey from central London to Heathrow proved smooth and swift. As a result I turned up ridiculously early for my booked flight – and just in time for the earlier departure to Istanbul. As (almost) always, I had only cabin baggage and could easily speed through security. I found a helpful BA agent and asked if there might be any space aboard the afternoon flight. Yes, he said, there are two seats left. For a moment I pictured myself enjoying a drink beside the Bosphorus on Friday evening, rather than touching down after midnight as my ticket prescribed. 'But unfortunately they're not in your class of travel. I have no interest in BA's short-haul business class for a three-hour flight. From what I can seek, economy class on Turkish Airlines is more than a match. Yet I bet there were economy passengers on that flight with better British Airways Club status than me (not a high bar) who would have been delighted with a free upgrade. It might have cost BA a few pounds in complimentary drinks, but the lucky passenger would be more likely to choose British Airways in future. Such an upward move would create a space in economy . For the pleasure of an evening in Istanbul I would gladly have paid, say, £60. That would constitute free money for BA. But the only option I was offered: upgrading to Club Europe on payment of over £900. I thanked the agent and wandered off, puzzled about the British Airways policy. I can see that allowing passengers to board earlier flights for little or no extra cost could impact revenue. People (including me) would routinely book later, cheaper flights and then try to switch at the airport. Charging a £60 fee would offset any losses, with a crucial added benefit: freeing up space for a flight several hours later. With 50 minutes remaining before the afternoon Istanbul flight was due to depart there was no possibility of BA selling either of the two empty seats to a new customer. But had I been moved earlier, there was some chance of selling a ticket to someone desperate to travel at short notice for many hundreds of pounds. One more reason for allowing passengers to switch is summed up for me by a former British Airways manager of overseas bases. 'If someone wanted to travel earlier I would always let them,' he told me. 'That stopped them being a potential problem later.' As you may have noticed, stuff frequently goes wrong with flying: from technical problems to crew sickness. (Earlier this year I had two flights in a row cancelled – one from each of these causes.) Moving people to earlier flights that are poised to depart reduces the airline's exposure to extra costs. British Airways might riposte: 'How the heck are we supposed to micromanage all this as the minutes tick away to departure?' Well, US airlines seem able to handle such requests – either free or for the odd $75 (£56), as I was charged by Delta at Atlanta last time I arrived in time for an earlier departure. And I know for a fact that one passenger would have been delighted if I had already been in Istanbul at the time the later flight was taking off. He was the gentleman travelling on a staff ticket. With no space remaining, he was assigned a 'jump seat' – provided mainly for cabin crew. Unfortunately, on the Airbus A321 his assigned place was the jump seat built into the door of one of the rear toilets. Had BA made me a reasonable offer to travel on the earlier flight, he would have had my seat. As it was, he had to spend most of the flight standing up. But at least he got on board.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Pharmacist issues urgent warning to UK holidaymakers travelling with weight-loss injections
With millions of Brits on weight-loss injections, those taking them have been urged to consider how they will travel with the medication this summer. A trip to a tropical island or a European city break, whatever the destination, there's often lots to plan for. Pharmacist Jason Murphy has warned travellers on weight-loss jabs against storing them in the hotel fridge. He explained how such appliance is not 'medically safe'. The expert advised: 'If you're staying in a hotel, the mini bars in rooms are often more mildly cool than medically safe. 'And you don't want your jab snuggling up next to someone else's sparkling rosé. Instead, contact the hotel in advance and ask to store your medication in a staff fridge.' Murphy recommends travellers not to 'just toss it in your suitcase and hope for the best'. Instead, he encourages people to think about intricacies such as the temperature it needs to be kept at and customs rules. Pharmacist Jason Murphy has warned travellers on weight-loss jabs against storing them in the hotel fridge Murphy said: 'Travelling with weight-loss medication isn't out of the question, but it does require some forward planning. 'You can't just toss it in your suitcase and hope for the best. Between time zone changes, storage issues, and customs restrictions, it's more of a 'carry-on mission' than most people realise.' He explained how weight-loss injections need to be kept in a refrigerator, but that some can be stored at room temperature for a limited time. 'These medications are designed to be kept refrigerated between 2°C and 8°C before use, but both Wegovy and Mounjaro can be stored at room temperature – below 30°C – for a limited period,' Murphy said. 'That gives patients more flexibility when travelling, but it's still important to keep pens out of direct sunlight and away from excessive heat. 'I always advise using a medical-grade travel cool bag with ice packs, especially if you're flying to a hot destination.' The pharmacist also advised against packing medication in hold luggage in case it was lost, as well as the added complication of the lack of temperature control. 'Never pack injections in checked baggage. 'Luggage holds aren't temperature-controlled, and there's a risk of delays or loss,' he explained. Murphy continued: 'Carry your medication in your hand luggage, in its original packaging, along with a copy of your prescription or a signed letter from your prescriber or pharmacist - something we provide routinely for patients.' Travellers carrying medication also need to be aware of customs rules and what is allowed to enter certain destinations. The pharmacist said: 'Some countries (such as, Japan, UAE, and Singapore) are strict about what medication crosses their border. 'In some cases, your jab may be considered a controlled substance, so you should always check embassy rules before you fly to save you a heap of holiday hassle.' He also explained how people may experience 'jet-lagged jabs' when the local time varies with the medication schedule the traveller may usually follow at home. Murphy said: 'If you're hopping multiple time zones, your injection routine may need a refresh. 'Weight-loss injections are typically once weekly, but timing still matters.' He advised using techniques such as setting an alarm in line to ensure the medication is taken in line with the typical routine. The pharmacist added: 'I'd always suggest setting an alarm for your injection based on your original UK schedule, then gradually shift it to local time over a few days. 'You'll feel more in sync and avoid what we call "jet-lagged jabs".'
STV News
5 hours ago
- STV News
Donald Trump to open new golf course in Aberdeenshire
Donald Trump is to tee off in celebration of a brand new 18-hole course at his golf resort in the north of Scotland on Tuesday. It's the fourth day of the US President's private visit to Scotland, which has been described as a working holiday. After meeting with the Prime Minister on Monday, Trump is expected to open the course at Trump International Golf Links on the Menie Estate on Tuesday before returning to Washington. Trump landed at Prestwick Airport on Friday evening and spent the weekend playing golf at his resort in Turnberry. On Sunday, Trump briefly met European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and agreed to a trade deal setting a 15% tariff on most European Union goods. Trump said it was the 'biggest deal ever made'. On Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer travelled to Scotland to meet the US President. The leaders discussed the US-UK trade deal and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Trump will visit the UK again in September for an unprecedented second state visit. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
