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US and India slide in world's most powerful passport ranking
The Henley Passport Index, which ranks all 199 world passports based on the number of destinations accessible without a visa, relies on exclusive Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Stock image. / istock
India's passport has dropped five places from 80th to 85th in the list of the world's most powerful passports, according to the Henley Passport Index 2025. India now shares its position with Equatorial Guinea and Niger, reflecting a decline in global mobility for Indian passport holders.
The Henley Passport Index, which ranks all 199 world passports based on the number of destinations accessible without a visa, relies on exclusive Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The US passport has also seen a significant decline in global mobility, dropping from second to ninth place over the past decade. The US now offers visa-free access to 186 destinations, behind countries like Australia, Canada, and several European nations.
Annie Pforzheimer, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, commented, “Even before the advent of a second Trump presidency, American political trends had become notably inward-looking and isolationist. If tariffs and deportations remain the Trump administration’s default policy tools, the US will likely continue to decline on the mobility index.”
US nationals are now also the largest group seeking second citizenships, representing 21 percent of all applications received by Henley & Partners in 2024. CEO Dr. Juerg Steffen noted, “Faced with unprecedented volatility, investors and wealthy families are adopting a strategy of geopolitical arbitrage to hedge against jurisdictional risk and optimize personal, financial, and lifestyle outcomes.”
Singapore reclaimed its position as the most powerful passport in the world with visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations, surpassing Japan, which now holds the second position with a score of 193. Japan’s drop comes despite regaining visa-free access to neighboring China for the first time since the Covid lockdowns.
Several EU nations, including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, slipped two places to third position with access to 192 destinations, joined by Finland and South Korea. The fourth spot is shared by a seven-nation EU bloc — Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden — with visa-free access to 191 destinations. Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, and the UK share fifth place with access to 190 destinations.
At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan remains the least powerful passport, losing visa-free access to two more destinations over the past year. This widening mobility gap highlights a stark contrast, with Singaporeans able to travel to 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghan passport holders.
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, noted, “The very notion of citizenship and its birthright lottery needs a fundamental rethink as temperatures rise, natural disasters become more frequent and severe, displacing communities and rendering their environments uninhabitable. Simultaneously, political instability and armed conflicts in various regions force countless people to flee their homes in search of safety and refuge.”
Among non-European countries, Australia ranks sixth with 189 visa-free destinations, followed by Canada in seventh with 188, and the UAE rounding out the top ten with access to 185 destinations. The UAE has climbed 32 places over the past decade, gaining access to 72 additional destinations since 2015.
Meanwhile, China has risen from 94th in 2015 to 60th in 2025, increasing its visa-free access by 40 destinations. China also improved its openness, ranking 80th with visa-free entry for 58 nations, surpassing the US, which ranks 84th, allowing access to only 46 countries.
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