Which passports will give their citizens the most freedom to travel the world? Like every year, the updated Henley Passport Index gives an overview of the countries with the most powerful passports of the moment. In 2026, Asian nations and member states of the European Union dominate the ranking.
Since 2005, London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners has been ranking passports on the global mobility spectrum. While other companies put together similar lists, the Henley Passport Index is the only one to be based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).
“Over the past 20 years, global mobility has expanded significantly, but the benefits have been distributed unevenly. Today, passport privilege plays a decisive role in shaping opportunity, security, and economic participation, with rising average access masking a reality in which mobility advantages are increasingly concentrated among the world’s most economically powerful and politically stable nations”, stated Christian H. Kaelin, chairman at Henley & Partners and creator of the Henley Passport Index.
Which 3️⃣ countries top the list for the most powerful passports?
— IATA (@IATA) January 13, 2026
The @HenleyPartners Index ranks passports by visa-free access —powered by Timatic data, the leading provider of real-time information on travel document requirements for int'l ✈️ travel. https://t.co/Zcu3DtZtZQ pic.twitter.com/8unvmykOJd
Since last year, only a few small changes have happened across the top three of the ranking. Singapore still holds the number one spot, while Japan and South Korea complete the top three, but all three have lost some power. Between the countries in the third and fourth spot, some switches took place – while Luxembourg and Sweden gained a spot, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, and Italy lost one.
Overall, the country showing the biggest growth over the past 20 years is the UAE, which added 149 visa-free destinations since 2006 and was able to climb 57 places. On the other hand, the UK shows the most important year-on-year losses, with visa-free access to 182 destinations, eight fewer than a year ago. While the United States briefly lost its spot in the top ten at the end of 2025 for the first time since the start of the ranking, 37 countries still outrank the U.S. The year-on-year decline is not much better than that of the UK, having lost visa-free access to seven destinations since the start of 2025.
Top 10 countries with the most powerful passports
- Singapore (192 destinations)
- Japan, South Korea (188)
- Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (186)
- Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway (185)
- Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates (184)
- Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, Poland (183)
- Australia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom (182)
- Canada, Iceland, Lithuania (181)
- Malaysia (180)
- United States (179)
“Passport power ultimately reflects political stability, diplomatic credibility, and the ability to shape international rules. As transatlantic relations strain and domestic politics grow more volatile, the erosion of mobility rights for countries like the US and UK is less a technical anomaly than a signal of deeper geopolitical recalibration”, said Misha Glenny, journalist and rector of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, in the report.
At the end of the index can be found Afghanistan (with visa-free access to just 24 destinations), Syria( 26 destinations), and Iraq (29 destinations).
