According to the Henley Passport Index, the Singapore passport is now the world’s strongest passport, allowing visa-free travel to 195 out of 227 destinations, reports CNN.
The index, created by London-based global citizenship and residency consultancy Henley & Partners, has been running for 20 years and surveys global freedoms in 227 countries and territories around the world using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
Japan comes second with open doors to 193 destinations. It secured second place by regaining visa-free travel with neighbouring China for the first time since the Covid-19 restrictions.
EU Member States France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Spain are in 3rd place, along with South Korea, whose citizens can travel to 192 destinations without a visa.
Fourth place in the ranking is a testament to the strength of the EU’s free Schengen area, which guarantees the free movement of more than 425 million EU citizens. It is topped by seven EU countries whose citizens can travel to 191 destinations without a visa: Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden.
Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are the five countries in fifth place, whose citizens can travel visa-free to 190 countries.
Then, with a few exceptions, European countries dominate the top ten. Australia and Greece share 6th place, while Malta, Poland and Canada are 7th.
The Czech Republic and Hungary share 8th place, the USA and Estonia 9th, and Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates 10th.
The UAE is one of the Index’s biggest success stories in global mobility, having secured access to an additional 72 destinations since 2015, moving it up 32 places to 10th place with visa-free access to 185 destinations. China has also moved up from 94th place in 2015 to 60th place in 2025.
At the other end of the rankings, Afghanistan is at 106th place, with only 26 destinations available to its citizens without a visa – fewer than last year. Syria is 105th (27 destinations) and Iraq is 104th (31 destinations).
The gap in travel freedoms between the highest and lowest ranked passports is now the widest ever.
Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, said citizenship should be re-evaluated as climate change, natural disasters, political instability and conflict are driving many to flee their homes.
Henley & Partners is one of several financial firms that classify global passports by access to travel.
For example, Arton Capital’s passport index, which is updated in real time, includes 193 UN countries and six territories, but excludes annexed regions. For 2025, Arton ranks the UAE first with 180 destinations, followed by Spain with 179.