The U.S. passport now ranks as the 10th most powerful passport in the world according to the Henley Passport Index. That continues a decade-long drop from the number one position the U.S. held in 2014.
Passport power
The Henley Passport Index is updated monthly and includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. The rankings look at how many countries a passport will get you into without needing a visa.
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Americans can now travel to 182 destinations without a visa.
That’s four fewer than a year ago, when America ranked eighth. The U.S. dropped to ninth in January.
“Notably, the US is now on the brink of exiting the Top 10 altogether for the first time in the index’s 20-year history,” Henley & Partners said in a news release.
While America now ranks tenth, there are actually 33 countries ahead of the U.S. in the rankings, with many countries tied at each level of the rankings.
“Visa-free access reflects the warmth of diplomacy between countries,” Armand Arton, founder of the Passport Index, told Straight Arrow News. “With the U.S. caught in friction with multiple global blocs over tech, trade and climate, the country’s passport has become collateral. Nowadays, we often see geopolitical disagreements play out at immigration counters.”
The Passport Index is a separate ranking of passports. It ranks the U.S. passport ninth in the world.
“We shouldn’t see this as a decline. Instead, we should see this as a rebalancing, with countries around the world jostling to sit at the top of the rankings as the nation with the most powerful passport,” Armand said.
Best passport to have
The U.S. and the United Kingdom were tied at number one in 2014, but now Singapore holds the top spot, with Singaporeans able to enter 193 countries without a visa.
That’s three more than Japan and South Korea, who are tied for second, while the UK has dropped to sixth.
Afghanistan is ranked last on the list, with only 25 countries allowing Afghans to enter without a visa. Other countries at the bottom of the list include Syria and Iraq.
“The consolidation we’re seeing at the top underscores that access is earned — and must be maintained — through active and strategic diplomacy. 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,” Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, the inventor of the Henley Passport Index, said in a statement.
Other big movers on the list include the United Arab Emirates, which has climbed 34 places over the last ten years, now ranking eighth. China has also risen 34 places in the last decade, now ranking 60th. The UAE now ranks atop Armand’s index.
“The power of your passport becomes immediately tangible during times of crisis — like pandemics, conflicts, or evacuations,” Armand said. “It can determine safety, access and opportunity for an individual and their family. In a globally mobile world, these rankings help individuals and institutions prepare for the unexpected.”
Things could also change next year when Europe implements its new electronic travel authorization system known as ETIAS. That system will approve travelers from visa-exempt countries for short-term stays. It’s not clear whether the indices factor in an ETIAS barrier similarly to a visa requirement.
Openness Index
Part of the reason for the U.S. drop is a lack of reciprocity. The U.S. ranks 80th in the Henley Openness Index, which measures how many nationals can enter a country without a visa.
“We often see a correlation between geopolitical uncertainty within a country and the power of that nation’s passport,” Armand said. “The ongoing uncertainty caused by policy decisions, such as President Trump’s mixed messaging on tariffs, may have contributed to the American passport’s decline in mobility this year.”
Twelve countries are tied atop the openness index, all from Africa or Oceania.
Afghanistan, North Korea and Turkmenistan rank last on that list, not allowing anyone in without a visa.
