The power of the U.S. passport falls to historic lows
The Henley Passport Index reveals shifts in global mobility, with the U.S. dropping out of top 10 for first time in 20 years.
A passport is a valuable asset that, depending on the country it comes from, can carry varying degrees of power. That’s why the Henley Passport Index is dedicated to ranking the world’s most powerful passports.
In its latest update, the index shows that Australia remains steady in the top 10, ranking seventh, tied with the Czech Republic, Malta, and Poland. The Australian passport grants visa-free access to 185 countries, although it is worth noting that earlier this year it held sixth place.
Conversely, the index, compiled by the British consulting firm Henley & Partners, has found that some passports have declined in recent months. The United Kingdom has slipped from sixth to eighth place, while the United States has fallen out of the top 10 entirely.
The U.S. drop is particularly notable, given that it held the top spot in 2014. It now ranks 12th, alongside Malaysia, with both countries offering visa-free access to 180 destinations. This marks the first time in 20 years that the United States has fallen outside the top 10.
Henley & Partners President Christian Kaelin noted that these changes, while seemingly minor, can have significant consequences. “The decline in the strength of the U.S. passport over the past decade is more than just a reshuffling of rankings,” he said. “It signals a fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics. Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are moving forward, while those that rely on past privileges are falling behind.”
Although U.S. passport holders can travel to nearly every country in the world, visa-free access to the United States itself is limited to only 46 countries. This represents one of the largest gaps in visa reciprocity, second only to Australia. The U.S. decline in the rankings was further affected in April when Americans lost visa-free access to Brazil.
Leading the ranking is Singapore, whose passport allows visa-free travel to 193 countries. At the opposite end is Afghanistan, where passport holders can enter only 24 countries without a visa.
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The Henley Passport Index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association, a global travel information database. Its primary metric focuses on the loss or gain of visa-free access, which directly affects a passport’s ranking.
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