The most powerful passports of 2025: The US and the UK fall, while India rises
The ranking, released Tuesday, shows the small nation-state retaining the top spot in the index, after it broke a six-way tie for the accolade earlier this year.
In 2024, Singapore shared the top ranking with Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
The latest ranking shows Japan and South Korea tied for second place, with the other former No. 1 contenders tied for third place with Denmark, Finland and Ireland.
The Henley Passport Index is a widely followed ranking of global passports, which assesses passport strength by one metric — the number of destinations holders can visit without needing to obtain a visa. The index ranks countries according to data provided by the International Air Transport Association, it said.
The ranking focuses mainly on ease of travel, while another ranking closely monitored by CNBC Travel, the Nomad Passport Index, ranks passports by five criteria, including taxation, and is more focused on global citizenship.
Henley's latest ranking shows the U.S. passport slipping to 10th place from 9th.The United Kingdom's passport also moved down the list, landing in sixth place from fifth, it showed. This represents a continuation of a "long-term downward trend" for the two countries — both of which were once considered the most powerful passports in the world, according to Henley & Partners.
"Notably, the U.S. is now on the brink of exiting the Top 10 altogether for the first time in the index's 20-year history," the company said in a statement.
The top 10 list shows a ranking mostly dominated by European countries, but led by three key Asian economies:
1 Singapore 2. Japan2. South Korea3. Denmark3. Finland3. France3. Germany3. Ireland3. Italy3. Spain4. Austria 4. Belgium4. Luxembourg4. Netherlands4. Norway4. Portugal4. Sweden5. Greece5. New Zealand5. Switzerland6. United Kingdom7. Australia7. Czechia 7. Hungary7. Malta7. Poland8. Canada8. Estonia8. United Arab Emirates9. Croatia9. Latvia9. Slovakia9. Slovenia10. Iceland10. Lithuania10. United States
Singaporeans can access 193 countries without needing a visa, while the countries tied for the 10th spot can access 182, according to the ranking.
India's passport jumped the most of any country in the past six months, rising to 77th from 85th, according to Henley & Partners.
An analysis of the ranking over the past decade showed the UAE rising 34 places in the ranking, the company said. It is the only "big riser" to break into the top 10 during this time, it said.
China also rose 34 spots in the past 10 years, the company said, a move it called "particularly impressive" considering that China doesn't have visa-free access to Europe's Schengen Area.
Afghanistan's passport remained in last place on the list, granting visa-free access to just 25 countries worldwide, the company said.
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