U.S. Passport Drops Out of Top 10 for the First Time... South Korea Ranks 2nd, Japan 3rd, and This Country Takes 1st

Three Asian Countries Sweep the Top Spots in Passport Index
United States and United Kingdom Both Drop in Rankings

The United States passport, once hailed as "the world's most powerful passport," has fallen out of the top 10 for the first time in 20 years. According to the "2025 Henley Passport Index" released by Henley & Partners in the United Kingdom, the United States ranked 12th, marking its first time outside the top 10. In contrast, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan claimed the top three spots, positioning Asian countries at the center of global passport power.

Passport image to aid article understanding. Pixabay

On October 14 (local time), CNN reported the global passport power rankings, citing the fourth quarter 2025 Passport Index from Henley & Partners. According to the report, the Singaporean passport allows visa-free entry to 193 countries worldwide, securing the top spot. South Korea (190 countries) and Japan (189 countries) ranked second and third, respectively, with these three Asian countries dominating the top of the global passport power rankings.

Following them, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Luxembourg (188 countries) shared fourth place, while major European Union countries such as France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, and Austria (187 countries) tied for fifth place.

U.S. Passport Drops Due to Lack of Openness

The United States tied for 12th place with Malaysia, offering visa-free access to 180 countries. The Henley Index ranks passports based on the number of countries accessible without a visa, with identical scores resulting in shared rankings. As a result, there are a total of 36 countries that scored higher than the United States.

Passport image to aid article understanding. Pixabay

The decline of the U.S. passport is attributed to "weakened mobility." In April 2024, Brazil suspended visa-free entry for U.S. citizens due to reciprocity issues, and more recently, Vietnam also removed the United States from its list of visa-exempt countries. While China has expanded its visa waiver policy for major European countries, the United States was not included.

Christian Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, stated, "This is not just a shift in rankings but a change in global mobility and soft power," adding, "Countries that prioritize openness and cooperation are taking the lead."

China and UAE Surge... UK Falls to Lowest Ranking

China has climbed from 94th to 64th place over the past decade, driven by expanded visa agreements with Russia, Gulf countries, and South America. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom fell to eighth place, its lowest ranking since 2015.

The United Arab Emirates has surged 34 places over the past 10 years, rising from 42nd to 8th and emerging as a "passport powerhouse" in the Middle East. In contrast, Afghanistan (106th, 24 countries), Syria (105th, 26 countries), and Iraq (104th, 29 countries) remain at the bottom of the rankings. The mobility gap between top-ranked Singapore and 106th-ranked Afghanistan is a staggering 169 countries.

Richard Quest of CNN pointed out, "The weakening of the U.S. passport is not unrelated to the restrictive immigration policies during the Trump administration." He added, "There are certainly citizenships that offer greater travel accessibility and availability, but for the average traveler, the difference is not that significant."