The United States continues its downward trend in the ranking of the world’s most powerful passports. The country has fallen to 9th place in the Henley Passport Index, a ranking of the world’s passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
Global mobility is an important measure of ‘soft power’ for a nation’s citizens. A U.S. passport currently grants its holder access to 186 destinations without a visa.
In comparison, citizens of Singapore—the number 1 passport in the ranking—have visa-free access to 195 travel destinations out of a total of 227 worldwide. The second most powerful passport in the world is Japan, which allows access to 193 destinations without the need for a visa.
Just over a decade ago, in 2014, the U.S. held the 1st position alongside the United Kingdom.
The United States’ low ranking is attributed to its lack of reciprocity, according to Henley & Partners. While American passport holders can access 186 of the 227 destinations without a visa, the U.S. itself allows only 46 other nationalities to cross its borders without a visa, placing it well below in the Henley Openness Index, at 84th place. The Openness Index ranks countries and territories worldwide based on the number of nationalities they allow entry without a prior visa.
Some experts blame the decline of the U.S. passport power on the country’s ‘America First’ stance. “Even before the advent of a second Trump presidency, American political trends have become remarkably introverted and isolationist,” said Annie Pforzheimer, a senior associate at the Washington think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. “While the economic health of the U.S. heavily depends on immigration, tourism, and trade, voters during the 2024 presidential campaign were fed a narrative that America can (and should) go it alone. Ultimately, if tariffs and deportations are the standard political tools of the Trump administration, the U.S. will not only continue to fall in the mobility index on a comparative basis but will likely do so in absolute terms as well. This trend, combined with China’s increasing openness, will likely give Asia the greatest dominance of ‘soft power’ worldwide.”
In contrast to Americans, Chinese citizens have seen their mobility increase over the past decade, with the country rising from 94th in 2015 to 60th in 2025 in the Henley index. Their visa exemption score has increased by 40 destinations in 10 years. And in terms of its openness to other nations, China has also risen in the Henley Openness Index. China granted visa-free access to 29 more countries just last year and is now ranked 80th, granting visa-free entry to a total of 58 nations at the start of the new year.
World’s Most Powerful Passports: Top 5
After Singapore and Japan, a group of six nations, each with access to 192 destinations without a prior visa—Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Spain—now ranks 3rd, based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The fourth position is shared by seven nations—Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden—with a visa-free destination score of 191.
In fifth place, a group of five countries is tied with access to 190 destinations without a visa: Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
In total, citizens of 27 countries have more global mobility without a visa than Americans.
Brazil’s Position
Brazil is the 18th most powerful passport in the world in 2025. The country has fallen one position from last year’s list, granting Brazilian citizens visa-free access to 171 countries.
Source: Forbes