Singapore now has the most powerful passport in the world, with Japan bumped from first to third, the UK moving UP to fourth and the U.S slipping to eighth

For the first time in five years, Japan no longer has the most powerful passport in the world.

In a new global ranking, Singapore tops the list, with its citizens able to visit 192 of 227 countries without a visa.

Germany, Italy and Spain rise to second place, with visa-free access to 190 destinations. Japan has slipped to third place, joining six other countries: Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden. Citizens of these countries can all visit 189 destinations without a prior visa.

Meanwhile, after falling down over the past six years, the UK has moved up two places to fourth, a position it last held in 2017. Its citizens – along with those from Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands – can 188 visit countries visa-free.

The US, on the other hand, continues its decade-long decline in the index, dropping another two places to eighth, with access to 184 countries without visas. The UK and US jointly ranked first on the index in 2014, but have been on a global downward trajectory ever since.

Australia comes in sixth, with visa-free access to 186 countries.

The rankings are compiled by the Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It analyzes how many countries a passport holder can enter without a prior visa.

Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the index, with a visa-free entry score of just 27, followed by Iraq (29) and Syria (30) – the three weakest passports in the world.

Of the countries in the top 10, the US has seen the smallest increase in its score over the past decade, notes Henley Passport Index, securing visa-free access to just 12 more destinations between 2013 and 2023. Singapore, by comparison, has increased its score by 25, moving it up five places in the ranking over the past 10 years and now ranking number one.

Henley Passport Index also points out that while US passport holders have visa-free access to 184 destinations, the US itself allows only 44 other nationalities through its borders visa-free.

A statement added: “The overall trend throughout the history of the 18-year ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, with the average number of destinations travelers can visit visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2023. However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than ever before, with Singapore leading the way and accessing 165 more visa-free destinations than Afghanistan.”

The UK, after falling down the last six years, has moved up two places to fourth

The US continues the index’s decade-long decline, falling two more places to eighth

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and the inventor of the Passport Index concept, says only eight countries around the world today have less visa-free access than they did a decade ago, while others have had greater success in securing greater travel freedom for their citizens.

He said: ‘The UAE has added a whopping 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013, resulting in a massive jump of 44 places in the ranking over the past 10 years from 56th to 12th position. This is almost double that of the next biggest climber, Colombia, which has jumped 28 places in the rankings and sits in 37th place.

Ukraine and China are also among the top 10 countries with the most improved rankings over the past decade.

“A strong passport is much more than just a travel document that defines our freedom of movement, it also provides significant financial freedoms in terms of international investment and business opportunities. Global connectivity and access have become indispensable attributes for wealth creation and preservation, and its value will only increase as geopolitical volatility and regional instability increase.”

For more information visit www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index.