One passport still rules them all in latest global ranking Henley Passport Index reveals

Singapore continues to top the global passport rankings, maintaining its position as the holder of the world’s most powerful travel document, according to the latest Henley Passport Index released on July 22.

Singaporean passport holders now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 out of 227 destinations worldwide.

While the Republic retained first place, its total dropped slightly from 195 destinations in the January 2025 edition of the index. This decline was due to Pakistan and Mauritania shifting from visa-on-arrival to e-visa regimes, which require travellers to obtain pre-departure approval and are not counted as visa-free access by the index.

Despite this two-point drop, Singapore maintained its lead, as other highly ranked passports also saw similar changes.

Japan and South Korea remain in second place with visa-free access to 190 destinations. Seven European Union countries — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain — share third place, each offering access to 189 destinations without requiring a visa in advance.

The United Kingdom and the United States continue their gradual decline in the index. The UK, which topped the list in 2015, now ranks sixth with visa-free access to 186 destinations. The US, which led the index in 2014, has fallen to 10th place, with access to 182 destinations. Henley & Partners, the global citizenship and residence advisory firm behind the index, noted that the US is now on the verge of falling out of the top 10 for the first time in the index’s 20-year history.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Afghanistan, ranked 99th, whose citizens can access only 25 destinations without obtaining a visa beforehand. Syria follows in 98th place with 27 destinations, while Iraq ranks 97th with access to 30.

India registered the most significant improvement over the past six months, jumping eight spots from 85th to 77th, despite increasing its visa-free access by only two destinations to a total of 59.

Saudi Arabia achieved the largest gain in actual visa-free access, adding four destinations since January. It moved up four spots to 54th place, now offering its citizens access to 91 destinations without prior visa requirements.

Henley & Partners compiles the index using exclusive data provided by the International Air Transport Association. The rankings are updated twice a year — in January and July — and reflect how many destinations a passport holder can visit without needing a visa in advance.

A Henley & Partners spokeswoman told the media that the index is dynamic and is updated monthly to reflect evolving visa policies and agreements.

“The January index reflected the scores and ranks at the beginning of the year, and we publish the July updated ranking each year to coincide with the summer holidays in the Northern Hemisphere when there is a significant uptick in travel,” she explained.

Since its inception in 2006, the Henley Passport Index has expanded to cover 199 passports and 227 destinations around the world.

By Tamilla Hasanova