Singapore holds the world’s most powerful passport for a second consecutive ranking this year, granting visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to 192 destinations, according to the Henley Passport Index released on 21 July. The United Arab Emirates recorded the largest gain since January, rising three places to share second position with Japan and South Korea at 188 destinations. The index, now in its twentieth year, shows the average passport provides access to 108 destinations, up from 58 in 2006, yet the mobility divide between the top and bottom ranks has reached a record 170 destinations, with Afghanistan remaining last at 22.

Henley & Partners chairman Christian H. Kaelin stated that two decades of data demonstrate passport strength is “one of the clearest expressions of a country’s geopolitical capital,” reflecting partnerships in trade, investment and security rather than peace or prosperity alone. The firm’s analysis, cross-referenced with the Global Peace Index, identifies a strong correlation between national stability and travel freedom: Singapore, Japan, Switzerland and Ireland rank highly on both measures. However, several states diverge sharply. Israel sits at 18th in passport power but 159th in peace, while the United States ranks 10th for mobility and 134th in peace. Viewed from Washington, the US has fallen from joint-first in 2006 to tenth today, even as its visa-free access rose from 130 to 180 destinations, a shift analysts attribute to other nations expanding their agreements more rapidly.

Regional perspectives reveal uneven trajectories. In the Gulf, the UAE’s addition of 153 visa-free destinations over twenty years is described by officials in Abu Dhabi as the product of sustained diplomatic and economic outreach. Malaysia enters the top ten at seventh place, while India has slipped from 71st in 2006 to 81st, with access to 55 destinations. Nigeria dropped one place to 90th, with 44 visa-free destinations, and South Africa remains the continent’s strongest passport at 49th. In Latin America, Mercosur members maintain internal freedom of movement using national identity documents, yet their global passport rankings vary, with Brazil, Chile and Uruguay requiring passports for most non-regional travellers. European states continue to dominate the upper ranks, with Sweden third and eleven EU countries sharing fourth place.

The index, compiled from International Air Transport Association data, is published twice yearly and serves as a benchmark for governments negotiating visa-waiver agreements. The next edition is expected in early 2027. The widening gap between the most and least mobile populations, Henley & Partners notes, reflects a global landscape in which diplomatic alignment and economic weight increasingly determine who moves freely, even as the total number of accessible destinations has expanded for nearly all passports.