The World's Strongest Passports 2025 list has been released, ranking countries based on how many destinations their citizens can enter without a visa. Singapore regained the top spot, Japan slipped to third after being overtaken by South Korea and, for the first time in two decades, the United States dropped out of the top 10.
The ranking comes from the Henley Passport Index, created by UK-based Henley & Partners using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Out of 227 destinations, Singapore leads the way with visa-free access at 193. South Korea is in second place with 190, while Japan now allows entry at 189.
The US slipped to 12th place, tied with Malaysia, offering visa-free travel to 180 destinations. In 2014, the US was ranked #1, and as recently as July this year, it was still in the top 10.
Brazil withdrew visa-free entry for American, Canadian and Australian travelers in April, citing a lack of reciprocity. Meanwhile, China opened its doors to visitors from Germany, France and other European countries but left out the US, with Vietnam also excluding the US from its new visa-free list.
Henley said that countries adopting openness and cooperation are moving forward, while countries relying on old privileges are slipping backward.
Britain, which was at number one in 2015, fell further this year. After being ranked sixth in July, it is now ranked eighth along with Croatia, United Arab Emirates and many others.
China has made huge strides, jumping from 94th in 2015 to 64th today, and has added about 37 new visa-free destinations. The United Arab Emirates has also climbed from 42nd position a decade ago to eighth position.
At the bottom is Afghanistan, ranked 106, with visa-free access to only 24 destinations.
