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Who is this tiny city-state with a global passport that the world thinks is great?
New Year’s cheer is in the air as Singapore regains the top spot in a quarterly ranking of the world’s most powerful passports.
According to the Henley Passport Index, holders of this desirable red travel document enjoy visa-free access to 195 of 227 destinations around the world, more than nationals of any other region on earth. Masu.
Japan is second in the rankings, with doors open to 193 destinations, and took home the silver medal for regaining visa-free access to neighboring China for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown.
EU member states France, Germany, Italy and Spain are in third place, along with Finland and South Korea, with access to 192 destinations without the need for a visa in advance.
Fourth place in the ranking is a testament to the power of the European Union’s border-free Schengen Area, which guarantees the free movement of more than 425 million EU citizens. The event is organized by seven EU countries, each of which has visa-free access to 191 destinations in Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
In fifth place are Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, all of which offer visa-free access to 190 destinations.
The index, now in its 20th year, was created by London-based global citizenship and residency advisory firm Henley & Partners and uses exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). tracks global freedom in countries and territories.
At the other end of the rankings, Afghanistan remains locked at the bottom at 106th place, with just 26 destinations available without a visa, two fewer than a year ago. Syria ranks 105th (27 destinations) and Iraq ranks 104th (31 destinations).
This means that the gap in travel freedom enjoyed by citizens at the top and bottom of the rankings has never been wider.
“As temperatures rise and natural disasters become more frequent and severe, displacing communities and making their environments uninhabitable, citizenship and its inherent “We need to fundamentally reconsider the very concept of a lottery of rights,” he said in a press release. release.
“At the same time, political instability and armed conflict in various regions are forcing countless people to flee their homes in search of safety and shelter.”
climber and faller
The rest of the top 10 is occupied by European countries, with a few exceptions. Australia and Greece are tied for sixth place, followed by Malta, Poland and Canada in seventh place.
The Czech Republic and Hungary are tied for eighth place, the United States and Estonia are in ninth place, and Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates are in tenth place.
The UAE is one of the index’s biggest success stories in global mobility, gaining access to an additional 72 destinations since 2015 and rising 32 places to 10th place with visa-free access to 185 destinations. Ta.
China is also a rising country, rising from 94th in 2015 to 60th in 2025.
Over the past decade, only 22 of the world’s 199 passports have fallen from the rankings, with some surprising names making it to the top of the list.
Venezuela ranks first, followed by the United States, which has the second highest rate of decline. He dropped seven places from 2nd to 9th place.
The South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu ranks fourth, and British passports rank fifth, previously ranking first. Canada is No. 5 on the losers list, dropping three spots in the rankings in the past decade.
The Henry & Partners list is one of several indexes created by financial companies to rank the world’s passports according to the access they provide to their citizens.
Arton Capital’s Passport Index takes into account passports from 193 United Nations member states and six territories: Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, Kosovo, the Palestinian Territories, and the Vatican. Excludes territories annexed to other countries.
It is also updated in real-time throughout the year, and its data is collected by closely monitoring each government portal.
Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2025 places the United Arab Emirates in the top spot with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 180. In second place is Spain with a score of 179.
1. Singapore (195 cities)
2. Japan (193)
3. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, South Korea (192)
4. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway (191)
5. Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190)
6. Greece, Australia (189)
7. Canada, Poland, Malta (188)
8. Hungary, Czech Republic (187)
9. Estonia, USA (186)
10. Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates (185)
