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Europe dominates the latest global passport rankings, but not all countries are rising with the tide.
The Henley Passport Index, which uses exclusive data sourced from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to rank the world’s passports by how many destinations they allow visa-free access to, has just released its 2025 update. European countries once again dominate the top tier.
Singapore claimed the top spot for the second year in a row, offering visa-free access to 193 destinations. Japan and South Korea follow in joint second with 190 destinations. After that, it’s a litany of European countries.
Seven EU nations – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain – now share third place globally, with visa-free access to 189 destinations. Close behind are Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden, all ranked fourth with access to 188 destinations.
Greece, Switzerland and New Zealand round out the top five.
Two European countries lag behind the leaders
In total, 28 European countries appear in the global top 10, buoyed by Schengen Area access and strong diplomatic relationships.
But Europe’s strength is not uniform. Belarus ranks lowest on the continent at 62nd, just behind Kosovo at 61st. Offering visa-free access to 81 and 82 destinations, respectively, both fall well below the global average of 109.
While Kosovo has made limited diplomatic progress in recent years, both remain largely excluded from wider visa liberalisation efforts, especially in Western countries.
The UK and US keep losing ground
Some of the biggest shifts in the rankings involve Western countries that were former leaders.
The UK, which topped the index in 2015, has dropped another place to sixth, with visa-free access to 186 destinations. The US, which ranked first in 2014, is now 10th, with access to 182 destinations – its lowest-ever position in the index’s 20-year history.
Henley & Partners, the Chicago-based citizenship by investment consultancy behind the rankings, attributes the decline to increasingly restrictive entry policies in both countries. In contrast, countries such as the United Arab Emirates (now 8th), Saudi Arabia (54th) and China (60th) are rising fast by expanding visa-waiver agreements and easing entry requirements.
“Access is earned – and must be maintained,” said Christian Kaelin, the Switzerland-born chairman of Henley & Partners.
“Those that invest in diplomatic relationships tend to rise.”
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