The Singapore passport has now become the most powerful passport in the world.
In the most recent ranking released on Tuesday by Henley & Partners, a London-based immigration consultancy, Singapore regains its status as the most powerful passport in the world, breaking away from the group of six nations that had shared the top spot on the Henley Passport Index.
With its powerful passport, Singapore surpassed France, Germany, Italy, and Spain to regain the title of world leader. Singaporeans can now travel to 195 worldwide destinations without the need for a visa.
With visa-free travel to 192 places, the five nations, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain, have fallen to second place. According to rankings released by Henley in January 2024, these countries had previously shared first place with Singapore having 194 visa-free access out of 227 travel destinations.
For the first time, an “unprecedented seven-nation cohort” occupied the third position. Austrian, Finnish, Irish, Luxembourgian, Netherlands, South Korean, and Swedish passport holders can enter 191 locations without difficulty.
Former passport superpowers Britain and the US have continued to fall down the list since 2014 when they occupied the top spot on the Henley index. Britain shares fourth place with Denmark, Belgium, Norway, New Zealand, and Switzerland with 190 visa-free destinations. The United States ranks eighth with 186 destinations offering visa-free travel.
World’s Powerful Passports
| Country | Rank | Entry to a Count of Nations |
| Singapore | 1st | 195 |
| France | 2nd | 192 |
| Germany | 2nd | 192 |
| Italy | 2nd | 192 |
| Japan | 2nd | 192 |
| Spain | 2nd | 192 |
| Austria | 3rd | 191 |
| Finland | 3rd | 191 |
| Ireland | 3rd | 191 |
| Luxembourg | 3rd | 191 |
| Netherlands | 3rd | 191 |
| South Korea | 3rd | 191 |
| Sweden | 3rd | 191 |
Afghanistan continues to have the weakest passport in the world, having visa-free access to 26 nations.
Article by Lena Ndolo
