Ranking the most and least powerful passports in the world
The Henley Passport Index 2025 Global Ranking ranks the world’s passports from most to least powerful, based on the number of destinations their holders can enter without a prior visa.
To establish how weak or powerful a country’s passport is, the Henley Index looks at the number of destinations a passport holder can access without a prior visa.
According to the company's official press statement, the 2025 Global Ranking is powered by exclusive Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
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The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, and prides itself on being "the original and most authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa".
"With historical data spanning 20 years and regularly updated expert analysis on the latest shifts in passport power, the index is an invaluable resource for global citizens and the standard reference tool for government policy in this field," says the company.
Based on their findings, Asian countries lead the pack with the most powerful passports.
The top five
- Singapore leads, giving passport holders access to 193 destinations out of 227 globally.
- Japan and South Korea share second place, each giving citizens access to 190 destinations worldwide.
- In joint 3rd place are seven EU countries — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain — each with access to 189 destinations.
- Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden share 4th place, with passport holders having access to 188 destinations.
- In 5th place are New Zealand, Greece, and Switzerland, with access to slightly fewer than 188 destinations.
The bottom five
- Afghanistan ranks as the least powerful passport in the world, granting access to just 25 destinations without a prior visa. This reflects a gap of 168 destinations between the top and bottom-ranked passports.
- Syria – 27 destinations
- Iraq – 30 destinations
- Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen – each with access to 32 destinations
- Libya and Nepal – each with access to 38 destinations
Get the full list here!
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Image: Henley & Partners