Singapore tops ranking of world’s most powerful passports again
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Singaporeans enjoy visa-free entry to 195 out of 227 travel destinations.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE - The Republic has clinched the top spot in a world ranking of passports again, with Singaporeans enjoying visa-free entry to 195 out of 227 travel destinations, according to the 2025 Henley Passport Index.
The index released two sets of rankings in 2024. In January 2024, Singapore shared the top spot with five other countries, reclaimed the sole position as the world’s most powerful passport.
In the latest index released on Jan 8, Japan is ranked a close second, with its citizens having visa-free access to 193 destinations.
Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain tie for third place with access to 192 destinations.
On the other end of the spectrum, the least powerful passports belong to Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Afghan passport holders can access only 26 destinations visa-free, while passport holders from Syria and Iraq are allowed visa-free entry to 27 and 31 destinations, respectively.
Meanwhile, China’s passport has made significant progress over the past decade, climbing from 94th place in 2015 to 60th place in 2025, with its citizens enjoying visa-free access to 40 more destinations.
In contrast, the US passport has fallen from second place in 2015 to its current ninth position on the index.
The Henley Passport Index evaluates the power of passports based on data from the International Air Transport Association and its own research.
It ranks countries based on the number of destinations their citizens can access without a visa, or where a visa on arrival, e-visa, or similar arrangement is available.
