Singapore has claimed the title of the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 193 out of 227 destinations worldwide, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.

The annual ranking, based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can enter without requiring a prior visa.

Asian countries continue to lead the global mobility race, with Japan and South Korea tied for second place, each providing visa-free access to 190 destinations.

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Europe rounds out the Top 5, with seven EU countries — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain — sharing third place with access to 189 destinations.

Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden follow closely behind in fourth with 188.

New Zealand, the only non-European country in the Top 5 outside of Asia, ties for fifth with Greece and Switzerland.

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At the bottom of the ranking is Afghanistan, whose citizens can access just 25 countries without a visa — a gap of 168 destinations compared to Singapore.

India Climbs, U.S. Slips

India recorded the most significant jump in the latest rankings, climbing eight spots to 77th place — despite adding just two new destinations to its visa-free list, now at 59.

Saudi Arabia saw the largest gain in terms of visa-free access, adding four destinations to reach a total of 91 and moving up to 54th place.

The United Kingdom and United States have each dropped a spot since January.

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The UK now ranks 6th with 186 visa-free destinations, while the U.S. ranks 10th with access to 182 — its lowest position since the index began.

“The U.S. is now on the brink of exiting the Top 10 altogether for the first time in the index’s 20-year history,” the report stated.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, creator of the Henley Passport Index, says global mobility is increasingly earned through diplomacy.

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

“Nations that proactively negotiate visa waivers and nurture reciprocal agreements continue to rise, while the opposite applies to those that are less engaged in such efforts.”

UAE and China Redefining Passport Power

According to the report, more than 80 passports have improved by at least 10 positions over the past decade, with the average number of visa-free destinations nearly doubling — from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

The United Arab Emirates stands out as the biggest success story, rising 34 places in 10 years to land at 8th, with visa-free access to 186 destinations.

China also gained 34 spots since 2015, now ranking 60th. While China has not yet secured visa-free access to the Schengen Area, it has significantly increased its openness to visitors — expanding visa-free entry from fewer than 20 countries five years ago to 75 today.

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Recent additions to China’s visa-free list include all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as well as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. These efforts have supported China’s tourism ambitions and contributed to the overall strength of Asian passports.

Travel Demand Growing, Especially in Asia-Pacific

According to IATA, global demand for air travel rose 5.8% in the first five months of 2025.

Asia-Pacific airlines led the way with 9.5% growth, fueled in part by strong regional mobility and easing visa policies.

“Importantly, despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties, consumer confidence appears to be strong,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

“Robust forward bookings for the peak Northern summer travel season give good reason for optimism.”

Traditional Powers Lose Their Edge

While many countries are seeing gains, 16 passports have fallen in rank over the past decade.

The most significant drop came from Venezuela, which fell 15 places to 45th.

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The U.S., UK, Vanuatu, and Canada also saw notable declines, with Canada dropping four places.

Dr. Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners, says this trend is reshaping the investment migration landscape.

“Americans are now leading the demand worldwide for alternative residence and citizenship options, with British nationals also among the top five globally,” he said.

“Your passport is no longer just a travel document — it’s a reflection of your country’s diplomatic influence and international relationships.”

“In an era of growing inequality and mounting geopolitical uncertainty, strategic mobility and citizenship planning are more critical than ever,” he added.

Complete 2025 Henley Passport Index here.

Topics From This Article to Explore

The U.S. is on the brink of exiting the top 10 in an annual ranking of the world’s most powerful passports for the first time in the index’s 20-year history.

American passports fell to a 10th place tie, jointly held by Iceland and Lithuania, in this year’s Henley Passport Index — which bases its rankings on how many destinations a passport’s holder can enter without a visa. The U.S. has fallen in the rankings every year since 2014, when its passports were ranked as the most powerful.

The U.S. has visa-free access to 182 destinations, whereas a passport from Singapore, which holds the top spot, grants the holder visa-free access to 193 destinations, according to the Index. In a Tuesday news release, Henley, a London-based global migration consultant group, noted that countries like the U.S. and U.K. “appear to be retreating behind more restrictive entry policies.”

“Your passport is no longer just a travel document — it’s a reflection of your country’s diplomatic influence and international relationships,” Henley & Partners CEO Dr. Juerg Steffen said in a news release.

American travelers can find out which countries require a visa by using the U.S. State Department’s Learn About Your Destination search tool.

The U.S. also ranks low on “openness,” only allowing 46 other nationalities to visit visa-free.

The State Department did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.

In second place on this year’s list are Japan and South Korea, with passports from those countries both granting holders visa-free access to 190 other countries. Most of the remaining top 10 slots, which include several tied rankings, are held by European countries, with the exception of the United Arab Emirates and Canada in a tie for eighth place and the U.S. in the 10 spot.

Afghanistan is ranked last. Its passport grants visa-free access to just 25 countries.

Henley says its index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association, a major travel information database.

“The consolidation we’re seeing at the top underscores that access is earned – and must be maintained – through active and strategic diplomacy,” said Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, inventor of the passport-index concept, in a statement. “Nations that proactively negotiate visa waivers and nurture reciprocal agreements continue to rise, while the opposite applies to those that are less engaged in such efforts.”

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SINGAPORE – Singaporeans continue to hold the world’s most powerful passport, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 1 93 destinations out of 227 globally, according to the latest Henley Passport Index released on July 22.

The Republic retained its first-place ranking despite a slight dip from 195 destinations in the January 2025 edition of the index .

Singapore lost visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to Pakistan and West African country Mauritania after both switched from visa-on-arrival to e-visa systems.

E-visas, unlike visa-on-arrival arrangements, require travellers to obtain approval before departure and are not counted as visa-free access in the index.

This reduced Singapore’s tally by two points, but it retained its lead, as other top-ranked passports were similarly affected.

In second place are Japan and South Korea, with access to 190 destination s. Seven European Union countries – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain – share third place with access to 189 destinations.

The UK and US slipped down the index, continuing a long-term downward trend. Once the world’s most powerful passports – the UK in 2015, and the US in 2014 – they now rank sixth and 10th , respectively.

The UK offers visa-free access to 186 destinations, while the US has 182. The US is on the verge of falling out of the top 10 for the first time in the index’s 20-year history, said Henley & Partners, which compiles the ranking.

At the bottom is Afghanistan, at 99th position, with its citizens able to access just 25 destinations without a prior visa, a stark contrast to the 193 destinations accessible to the top-ranked passport.

Syria is in 98th place with 27 destinations, followed by Iraq at 97th with 30.

Over the past six months, India has made the largest jump in the rankings, climbing eight places from 8 5th to 77th , despite adding only two new visa-free destinations to take its total to 59.

Saudi Arabia has recorded the biggest gain in visa-free access, adding four destinations since January and rising four places to 54th, w ith a total of 91 visa-free countries.

Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residence advisory firm, compiles the ranking using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association.

It is published twice a year – in January and July – and tracks the number of destinations passport holders can enter without needing a prior visa.

A sp okeswoman for Henley & Partners told The Straits Times that the index is dynamic and changes monthly due to shifting visa policies, with new agreements signed or reversed regularly.

“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 added.

The index, launched in 2006, now covers 199 passports and 227 destinations.

You might think the U.S. passport one of the most powerful in the world, but it’s not.

In fact, according to the 2025 edition of the Henley Passport Index — which ranks the world’s passports by the number of places each passport holder can visit visa-free — the U.S. has plunged from second to ninth place over the past 10 years. (Only Venezuela has performed worse.)

What caused this fall from grace? There’s no one specific answer, but in this article we’ll look at the list, explain why the U.S. passport is losing its strength, and offer a glimpse of what the future could hold for U.S. passport holders.

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The Most Powerful Passports in the World

The Henley Passport Index uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to rank passports. It’s considered the international standard in this field — and based on its rankings, the most powerful passports may not be the ones you think.

The list, which includes 199 different passports and 227 travel destinations, is based on the number of countries each passport allows you to reach visa-free.

There’s also the Henley Openness Index, which ranks all 199 countries and territories worldwide according to the number of nationalities to which they permit entry without a prior visa. On this list, the U.S. is in 84th place.

Countries rise and fall every year on these lists based on their openness to foreigners and how easy it is for their own citizens to travel freely.

Strongest and Weakest Passports

Singapore takes the top spot in 2025, with a visa-free score of 193. Coming in second place are Japan and South Korea, at 190. Third place sees all European countries, with Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain sharing a score of 189.

As mentioned, the U.S. comes in at 9th place (alongside Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia, and Slovenia) with the ability to travel to 183 countries visa-free. At the bottom of the list, Iraq has a visa-free score of 30, Syria 27, and in last position, Afghanistan, with 25. (See the full Henley Passport Index.)

Why the U.S. Is Falling Behind

The U.S. is one of the biggest “fallers.” Image Credit: Henley & Partners

Officially deemed a “faller” by Henley, the U.S. has dropped so hard over the past 10 years that only Venezuela beat it on the way down. But why? There are a few reasons.

Lack of Reciprocity

When you compare the its openness score to the visa-free score, it’s easy to see why the U.S. lands further down the list. While U.S. passport holders can access 183 countries visa-free, only 46 countries can enter the U.S. without a visa.

Growing Sense of Nationalism

Political views aside, the ‘America First’ narrative may be a major contributor to the U.S. passport’s decline.

According to Annie Pforzhemier, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, “Even before the advent of a second Trump presidency, American political trends had become notably inward-looking and isolationist. Even though U.S. economic health relies heavily on immigration, tourism, and trade, voters during the 2024 presidential campaign were fed a narrative that America can (and should) stand alone. Ultimately, if tariffs and deportations are the Trump administration’s default policy tools, not only will the US continue to decline on the mobility index on a comparative basis, but it will probably do so in absolute terms as well.”

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The Future of a U.S. Passport

While we don’t know whether the U.S. passport will climb back up the ladder or keep going down, judging by some new visa policies, it may be the latter.

Little by little, the lack of reciprocity and the current political climate means that other countries will likely start requiring visas for U.S. citizens to enter. Already, U.S. passport holders have to pay more than other countries when visiting certain destinations. For example, most EU nationals and Australians don’t need a visa to visit Bolivia, while U.S. passport holders need to pay $160 for a visa. Citizens of many EU countries can enter Turkey visa-free, but U.S. passport holders need to pay about $60 for a visa.

This trend is continuing in 2025. Brazil is shifting away from its 2019 policy that allowed U.S. passport holders to visit for free. Starting April 10, 2025, U.S. citizens will need to pay approximately $80 for a Brazilian visa.

In January, the UK implemented its ETA system, where U.S. passport holders need to pay £10 to obtain travel permission to enter the UK.

While the start date is unclear, the EU is moving forward with its travel authorizations for U.S. passport holders, possibly in the second half of 2025. Known as the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System), the €7 fee won’t break the bank but does add an additional step for U.S. citizens visiting Europe.

Hot Tip: While visa fees won’t always code as travel, if you do use a travel agency to help you with your visa, you might just get 2x points per dollar spent when using a credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which includes travel agencies as eligible for the travel bonus category.

Final Thoughts

The U.S. passport isn’t the world’s most powerful passport right now — and it may not get any better, at least for a while. Some Americans are responding by seeking additional citizenship. The data is clear: US nationals account for 21% of all investment migration program applications received by Henley & Partners, more than any other nationality.

CNN —

It’s official. Vienna is no longer the most liveable city in the world.

After a three-year run at the top of the annual list from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the Austrian capital has been beaten out by “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen.”

Denmark’s capital has taken the number one spot on the ranking of the world’s most liveable cities for 2025, which was released on Tuesday.

The EIU, a sister organization to The Economist magazine, ranked 173 cities around the world on a number of factors, including healthcare, education, stability, infrastructure and environment.

Copenhagen triumphed after receiving “perfect” scores for stability, education and infrastructure, while Vienna tied for second place with Swiss city Zurich.

Australia’s Melbourne retained its fourth place spot, while Switzerland’s Geneva was fifth on the list.

Just outside of the top five, Sydney, Australia moved up the list, jumping from joint seventh place to sixth, while Japanese city Osaka and New Zealand’s Auckland tied for seventh place.

In ninth place, Adelaide was the third Australian city to make the top 10, while Canada’s Vancouver took the number 10 slot.

Declining scores

Austria’s Vienna fell to joint second place on the world’s most liveable cities for 2025 ranking after receiving lower scores for stability this year. Georg Hochmuth/APA/AFP/Getty Images

So why did Vienna fail to come out on top this year?

Although the Austrian city scored well in most categories, its score in the stability category fell significantly, while Copenhagen scored highly in all sections.

The “sharp decline” in Vienna’s stability score was attributed to recent incidents, including a bomb threat at a Taylor Swift concert last summer, which led to the event being canceled.

“Global liveability has remained flat over the past year, and as in 2024, scores for stability have declined at a global level,” Barsali Bhattacharyya, deputy industry director at EIU, said in a statement.

“Pressure on stability has led Vienna to lose its position as the most liveable city after a three-year stint.”

Biggest movers

Sunbathers at Geneva Lake in Geneva, which has been named one of most liveable cities in the world. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

However, Vienna wasn’t the only city that received lower marks for a category it had previously scored well in.

Calgary, which took fifth place in 2024, dropped out of the top 10 this year, falling to 18th after receiving a lower healthcare score, along with three fellow Canadian cities, due to a “strain” on the country’s healthcare system.

Toronto also placed lower this year, as a result, falling from 12th to 16th place.

“That’s really just reflecting the long waiting lists for medical checkups,” Bhattacharyya tells CNN Travel. “There’s been a shortage of staff at medical facilities and hospitals.”

Bhattacharyya stresses that other parts of the world have also been experiencing pressures on healthcare systems and housing infrastructure, but Canada “stood out” because of the sustained impact of these factors.

“Just to put that into context, they’re still some of the most livable cities in the world,” she adds.

Honolulu, Hawaii was the highest US city on the list, coming in 23rd place.

“We’ve seen a trend where sort of smaller or medium-sized cities in the US actually do a lot better than the really big cities like New York or LA,” explains Bhattacharyya. “And that’s largely because of the strains on public services infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, UK cities London, Manchester and Edinburgh also moved down the rankings after receiving lower scores in the stability category.

This follows a period of rioting and unrest in the UK last year after an anti-immigrant misinformation campaign stoked outrage over a stabbing attack in Southport, northern England.

This year’s list saw London drop from 45th to 54th place, Manchester from 43rd to 52nd and Edinburgh moving from 59th to 64th.

Stability decline

Melbourne was one of three Australian cities in the top 10 of the ranking of world’s most liveable cities. Prasit photo/Moment RF/Getty Images

“As in 2024, stability scores have declined for western Europe and the Middle East and North Africa,” adds Bhattacharyya.

“In this edition, they have also declined for Asia, amid intensified threats of military conflict for cities in India and Taiwan.”

While some destinations fell down the list, others made significant gains, with Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf city of Al Khobar jumping 13 places from 148th to 135th.

The kingdom has made considerable investments to improve healthcare and education access under Vision 2030, an extensive plan to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil.

Indonesia’s Jakarta also moved up the list, jumping 10 places from 142 to 132 thanks to an improvement in its stability core.

Unsurprisingly, the rankings at the very bottom of the list haven’t changed much in the past year, with Damascus, Syria still ranking as the least liveable in the world six months after the fall of ex-president Bashar al-Assad. Libya’s Tripoli ranked just above it.

Bangladesh capital Dhaka was third from bottom, while Pakistan’s Karachi and Algeria’s Algiers were ranked as the fourth and fifth least liveable cities.

While 2024 saw global liveability rise “fractionally,” this certainly hasn’t been the case this year.

“This is because of the declines in stability,” explains Bhattacharyya. “Because we have seen improvements in categories like healthcare and education, largely led by cities in the Middle East. But that has basically been offset by declines in stability.”

2025’s Global Liveability Index: The top 10

1. Copenhagen, Denmark

2. Vienna, Austria

2. Zurich, Switzerland

4. Melbourne, Australia

5. Geneva, Switzerland

6. Sydney, Australia

7. Osaka, Japan

7. Auckland, New Zealand

9. Adelaide, Australia

10. Vancouver, Canada