U.S. drops to lowest ranking yet on index of most powerful passports

Americans once held the world’s most powerful key to international travel, but in the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index released this weeK

by Grace Moon

Americans once held the world’s most powerful key to international travel, but in the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index released this week, U.S. passports dropped to their lowest position yet, outranked by affluent Asian countries that dominated the top of the list, European mainstays and others.

According to the Henley ranking, which is based on the number of destinations a traveler can visit without needing a visa, the United States has fallen from seventh place last year to 10th place, continuing a downward trend. Now tied with Iceland and Lithuania, the U.S. last topped the list in 2014.

The London-based firm Henley & Partners, which offers consulting on residence and citizenship by investment, has compiled the rankings for nearly two decades, relying on data from the International Air Transport Association.

Christian H. Kaelin, whom the firm credits 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.

“The consolidation we’re seeing at the top underscores that access is earned — and must be maintained — through active and strategic diplomacy,” he noted.

The reshuffling occurs as the U.S. role on the world stage evolves under the second Trump administration, which has doubled down on visa-vetting measures and deportations, putting immigrant communities on edge and plunging international students into uncertainty.

Last month, the State Department announced “expanded screening” for visas, which requires applicants to set all of their social media profiles to public. The U.S. will also soon require some international visitors to pay a $250 “visa integrity fee,” according to a provision in the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill.

Meanwhile, economic powerhouses in Asia have continued to rise in global mobility in recent years. In the latest report, the Singaporean passport once again ranked as the world’s most powerful, offering access to 193 destinations without a visa. Last year, the multicultural city-state shared the top spot with Japan and several European countries — France, Germany, Italy and Spain — all of which collectively dropped to third place in the most recent rankings and are now behind Japan and South Korea.

India recorded the largest jump this time, climbing eight spots to 77th place, while Henley & Partners in the release also emphasized China’s ongoing ascent from 94th to 60th position since 2015.

China’s rise “has been assisted by its significant move towards greater openness,” the firm said, noting that the country “has granted visa-free access to over a dozen new passports since January” in what it calls “a remarkable shift considering it allowed visa-free entry to fewer than 20 countries just five years ago.”

Here is a condensed list of the most and least powerful passports, indicating the number of destinations passport-holders can enter visa-free. The full list is available here.

The most powerful passports

1. Singapore: 193 destinations

2. Japan and South Korea: 190 destinations

3. Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain: 189 destinations

4. Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden: 188 destinations

5. Greece, New Zealand and Switzerland: 187 destinations

The least powerful passports

1. Afghanistan: 25 destinations

2. Syria: 27 destinations

3. Iraq: 30 destinations

4. Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen: 32 destinations

5. Libya and Nepal: 38 destinations

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