The United States passport has fallen out of the top 10 most powerful passports for the first time in 20 years, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
The index, which ranks countries based on the number of destinations their citizens can visit without a visa, placed the US in 12th position, tied with Malaysia.
A decade ago, the American passport was ranked first, but recent changes in global entry policies have affected its standing.
Singapore now tops the 2025 list with visa-free access to 193 destinations, followed by South Korea with 190 and Japan with 189.
Citizens of the United States and Malaysia can travel to 180 countries visa-free out of 227 tracked by the index, created by London-based Henley & Partners using data from the International Air Transport Association.
Explaining the fall, Henley’s report pointed to several countries — including Brazil, Vietnam, and Papua New Guinea — that recently restricted access for Americans.
In April, Brazil reintroduced visa requirements for citizens of the US, Canada, and Australia. Vietnam and Somalia also excluded the US from their latest visa-free lists.
Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, said the shift reflects “a change in global mobility and soft power dynamics,” noting that countries with more open policies are rising faster in rankings.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom also slipped to eighth place, its lowest ranking since the index began, while China moved up sharply from 94th in 2015 to 64th in 2025.
At the bottom of the list, Afghanistan remains the weakest passport with visa-free access to just 24 destinations, followed by Syria and Iraq.
Despite the drop, analysts said the US passport remains one of the most desirable, though stricter immigration and entry rules in recent years have limited its global access.
Here is the full list of the most powerful passports in 2025
- Singapore (193 destinations)
- South Korea (190)
- Japan (189)
- Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland (188)
- Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands (187)
- Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden (186)
- Australia, Czech Republic, Malta, Poland (185)
- Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom (184)
- Canada (183)
- Latvia, Liechtenstein (182)
- Iceland, Lithuania (181)
- USA, Malaysia (180)
