Singapore named the ‘world’s most powerful passport’

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According to the 2025 Henley Passport Index, Singaporeans hold the “world’s most powerful passport” of 199 national passports for the second consecutive year.

Singapore passport holders can visit 86% of the world without a visa, or 195 of 227 destinations globally, per International Air Transport Association data compiled by Henley & Partners.

This number increased from 194 countries last year, with the addition of Iran in February.

Japan, which held the top spot in 2023, placed second this year (providing visa-free entry to 193 countries). It was followed by Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain, all with 192 visa-free countries.

The U.S. passport slid down two spots this year, coming in ninth place alongside Estonia. While offering citizens hassle-free travel to 186 countries, the U.S. has made no progress in offering citizens access to additional visa-free countries since 2023.

HENLEY & PARTNERS

Henley & Partners, a London-based residence and citizenship advisory firm, issues a quarterly report scoring passports by the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. In addition to visa-free access, the report considers strength and economic power based on gross domestic product data from the World Bank.

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Even though the U.S. contributes the most globally to the world’s GDP, the report correlates visa-free access with spending power abroad. This prevents the U.S. from climbing significantly in the rankings until the number of countries Americans can visit without needing a visa increases.

A U.S. passport grants Americans access without a visa to more than 81% of countries worldwide as of 2025, per the report.

Rounding out the top 10 most powerful passports are:

  • No. 4: Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden (191 visa-free countries)
  • No. 5: Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and the U.K. (190 visa-free countries)
  • No. 6: Australia and Greece (189 visa-free countries)
  • No. 7: Canada, Malta and Poland (188 visa-free countries)
  • No. 8: Czechia and Hungary (187 visa-free countries)
  • No. 9: Estonia and the U.S. (186 visa-free countries)
  • No. 10: Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates (185 visa-free countries)

Afghanistan remains the least powerful passport, providing visa-free access to just 26 destinations; it decreased from 28 countries in 2024.

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