According to the Henley Passport Index 2025, Singapore has the strongest passport on the planet.
The nation state was certainly one of six countries that ranked first in migration consultancy Henley & Partners' 2024 list, which ranks passports by the variety of destinations holders can travel to and not using a visa.
According to the rankings released on Wednesday, Singapore ranked ahead of the opposite five countries – Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain and France – and its residents were granted visa-free access to 195 of 227 destinations worldwide.
Japan is in second place with visa-free access to 193 places, while the 4 European countries that took first place last yr, in addition to Finland and South Korea, share third place, each allowing passport holders to enter 192 destinations and not using a visa.
Countries in Europe and New Zealand dominate the remainder of the highest 20 list.
The Henley Pass Index uses data from the International Air Transport Association to rate 199 passports worldwide.
According to the index, “visa-free” includes situations where a visa shouldn’t be required or where easier-to-obtain entry documents, akin to: Some visas, akin to visas on arrival, visitor permits and electronic travel authorizations, are required.
Climbers and fallers
According to a press release, the United Arab Emirates is among the many “biggest risers” on the list, having gained visa-free access to 72 destinations during the last decade, for a complete of 185 destinations worldwide.
According to the rating, it’s just behind the USA, whose residents can visit 186 places and not using a visa.
The US is certainly one of 22 places where passports have declined within the index over the past decade, it said.
“Surprisingly, the US is the second largest faller between 2015 and 2025 to Venezuela and fell seven places from 2nd to the current 9th place,” the press release states.
Passports from the United Kingdom – which topped the list in 2015 – and Canada also declined, it said.
China rose within the rankings, landing at number 60 in 2025. Its openness to other countries has also increased significantly, with China now allowing visa-free entry to residents from 58 destinations – half of which were added last yr – in accordance with the Henley Openness Index.
At the underside of the list
Afghanistan is once more considered the country with the weakest passport on the list. It ranked last since it provided access to only 26 out of 227 destinations. Its residents can visit places akin to Cambodia, the Maldives, Djibouti, Sri Lanka and Haiti without the necessity for a visa.
According to Henley & Partners, the gap between the strongest and weakest passes on the list is the widest within the index's 19-year history. Singaporeans can visit 169 more places than Afghans with no need a visa, it says.
After Afghanistan, the weakest passports on the list are those from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Nepal, the Palestinian territories, Libya and Bangladesh, each behind North Korea, whose residents can visit 41 destinations worldwide, in accordance with the rating.
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