A powerful passport is something that shouldn't be taken for granted. After all, travel is so much sweeter without the hassle and stress of applying for visas. That's why we like to keep our eyes on reports like the Henley Passport Index, which monitors the most (and least) powerful passports in the world based on data from the International Air Transport Association.
It's just released its first index of 2025, and we're chuffed to see that two Asian countries have topped the list. Unsurprisingly, bragging rights go to Singapore (No. 1) and Japan (No.2). These two countries have consistently topped Henley's list, but this year, they've broken away from the group of six countries that shared joint first place in 2024.
With a Singapore passport, you can enter 195 of 227 destinations visa-free. Meanwhile, Japan has recently regained visa-free access to China, bumping up its number to 193 destinations globally.
Another Asian country on the list of the ten most powerful passports is South Korea. It sits in third place with France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Finland, all with access to 192 destinations, with no prior visa required. Not bad at all.
In the meantime, China is one of the biggest climbers on the Henley's Passport Index. It added 40 destinations to its list of visa-free access destinations, slinging it up from 94th place in 2015 to 60th in 2025.
Here are the most powerful passports in the world in 2025, according to the Henley Passport Index:
- Singapore; 195 destinations
- Japan; 193 destinations
- South Korea, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland; 192 destinations
- Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden; 191 destinations
- Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, the UK; 190 destinations
- Australia; 189 destinations
- Canada; 188 destinations
- Hungary; 187 destinations
- USA; 186 destinations
- The United Arab Emirates; 185 destinations
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