Singapore claims the top spot as Asian countries surge ahead, while Belarus and Kosovo are Europe’s weakest links.
Europe dominates the latest global passport rankings, but not all countries are rising with the tide.
The Henley Passport Index, which uses exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It ranks the world’s passports by how many destinations they allow visa-free access. And, it has just released its 2025 update. European countries once again dominate the top rankings.
Interestingly, Singapore took the top spot for the second year in a row, offering visa-free access to 193 destinations. Moreover, Japan and South Korea are tied for second place with 190 destinations. After that, it’s a bevy of European countries.
Seven EU countries – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain – now hold third place globally. Well, they come with visa-free access to 189 destinations. Behind it are Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. These are all in fourth place with access to 188 destinations.
Moreover, Greece, Switzerland and New Zealand round out the top five.
UK & the US continue to lag behind
Some of the biggest changes in the rankings include Western countries that were once leaders.
The UK, which topped the index in 2015, has fallen to sixth place with visa-free access to 186 destinations. The US, which was number one in 2014, is now in 10th place, with access to 182 destinations – its lowest position in the index’s 20-year history.
Henley & Partners, the Chicago-based citizenship-by-investment consultancy behind the rankings, attributes the decline to increasingly restrictive entry policies in both countries. In contrast, countries such as the United Arab Emirates (now in 8th place), Saudi Arabia (54th place) and China (60th place) are making rapid progress by expanding visa-free agreements and easing entry requirements.
“Access has been achieved – and it must be maintained,” said Christian Kaelin, the Swiss-born chairman of Henley & Partners.
Two European countries are behind the leaders
In total, 28 European countries are in the global top 10, benefiting from access to the Schengen area and strong diplomatic ties.
But Europe’s strength is not uniform. Belarus is the lowest on the continent at 62nd, behind Kosovo at 61st, offering visa-free access to 81 and 82 destinations respectively, both well below the global average of 109.
Although Kosovo has made limited diplomatic progress in recent years, both remain largely excluded from broader efforts to liberalise visas, particularly in Western countries.
