Kathmandu, Oct 16: The United States passport has fallen to its lowest-ever ranking, dropping out of the world’s top 10 most powerful passports for the first time in 20 years, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
Nepal’s passport remains near the bottom at 101st, with visa-free access to just 36 countries. Among its neighbors, Bhutan ranks 92nd with access to 50 countries, Sri Lanka 98th with 41, Bangladesh 100th with 38, and Pakistan 103rd with 31.
India’s passport fell to 85th this year, with visa-free access to 57 destinations, down from 80th place last year.
In 2014, the U.S. passport topped the global ranking, but in the 2025 index released on October 14, it slipped two places from July and now sits at 12th, tied with Malaysia. U.S. citizens can travel visa-free or obtain a visa on arrival in 180 out of 227 destinations.
Singapore now holds the top spot, granting its citizens visa-free access to 193 countries. South Korea ranks second with access to 190 destinations, while Japan is third with 189.
Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland share fourth place with visa-free access to 188 countries. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands are in fifth place with access to 187 destinations.
Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden rank sixth, followed by Australia, the Czech Republic, Malta, and Poland in seventh. Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom share eighth place, each offering access to 184 destinations.
Canada ranks ninth with visa-free travel to 183 countries. Latvia and Liechtenstein round out the top 10, with access to 182 countries.
Last year, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Singapore topped the list, while the United States ranked seventh.
At the bottom of the list, Afghanistan’s passport is the weakest, offering visa-free access to only 24 countries, followed by Syria with 26 and Iraq with 29.
The Henley Passport Index began in 2005 as the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index and was renamed in January 2018.
People's News Monitoring Service