Industry & Tourism

Singapore Has the World's Most Powerful Passport in 2026 — Visa-Free to 192 Countries

Singapore tops the latest Henley Passport Index with visa-free access to 192 destinations, and the US slips to 10th. The full 2026 ranking, and Nepal.

By Anjali Shrestha · Aug 13, 2026

Singapore holds the world's most powerful passport in 2026, opening the door to 192 destinations without a visa arranged in advance — more than any other travel document on Earth. That is the headline from the latest Henley Passport Index, the ranking that…

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Who sits at the top

Singapore has been the ranking's runaway leader for several years, climbing from 173 visa-free destinations a decade ago to 192 today. Behind it, Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates share second place on 188 each. Sweden holds third on 187, and a…

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The biggest movers — and the fall of the US passport

Two long-term stories stand out over the index's two decades. The United Arab Emirates is the great climber, adding more than 150 visa-free destinations since 2006 to break into the top tier — the single most dramatic rise in the ranking's history. The United…

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What drives passport power

The broader pattern is that openness, not economic size, drives passport power. Countries that strike and keep mutual visa-waiver deals rise; those that let them lapse drift down, regardless of how wealthy or well-known they are.

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The weakest passports

At the other end of the table, Afghanistan remains last with visa-free access to just 23 destinations, sitting below Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen, which each fall in the mid-20s to low-30s. For holders of these passports, most international travel still…

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