Global Passport Rankings: Singapore, Japan, South Korea Passports Have the Most Visa-Free Destinations

Singapore has once again topped the list of the world’s most powerful passports, according to the 2025 Henley Passport Index, with visa-free access to 195 of 227 destinations worldwide, while Japan is second with 193. Afghanistan remains firmly at the bottom of the index, having lost two more visa-free destinations in the past year, creating the largest mobility gap in the index’s 19-year history. The index ranks 199 passports worldwide according to the number of destinations their holders can visit without a prior visa and is based on exclusive official data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Several EU member states – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – have each dropped two places to third place. Finland and South Korea have also made the cut, both falling one place in the past 12 months and now offering visa-free access to 192 destinations. The EU-7 countries – Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden – all have visa-free access to 191 destinations, ranking them in joint fourth place. Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom follow closely in fifth place with 190 visa-free destinations.

The rest of the top ten in the index is dominated by European countries, with the exception of Australia (ranked sixth with 189 destinations), Canada (ranked seventh with 188 destinations), the United States (ranked ninth with 186 destinations) and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has been one of the fastest risers in the rankings over the past decade, adding 72 new visa-free destinations since 2015 and now ranks tenth with 185.

China is one of the fastest risers, climbing from 94th in 2015 to 60th in 2025, with 40 more visa-free destinations.

In terms of openness, China has also risen significantly in the Henley Openness Index. The index ranks 199 countries worldwide based on the number of countries they allow visa-free access to. In the past year alone, China has extended visa-free access to an additional 29 countries and now ranks 80th, allowing visa-free access to 58 countries.

In comparison, its rival, the United States, ranks 84th, allowing visa-free access to only 46 countries.