Most-powerful passports
The Henley Index ranks passports by visa-free or visa-on-arrival access.
Headline finding
Singapore leads the world for most-powerful passports at 195 visa-free destinations.
The full top 25: Most-powerful passports
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Singapore 195
- 2 Japan 193
- 3 Finland 192
- 4 France 192
- 5 Germany 192
- 6 Italy 192
- 7 South Korea 192
- 8 Spain 192
- 9 Sweden 192
- 10 Luxembourg 191
- 11 Austria 191
- 12 Denmark 191
- 13 Netherlands 191
- 14 Belgium 191
- 15 Portugal 191
- 16 Ireland 191
- 17 Norway 190
- 18 Switzerland 190
- 19 United Kingdom 191
- 20 Greece 190
- 21 Australia 189
- 22 New Zealand 189
- 23 Malta 189
- 24 Czech Republic 189
- 25 United States 186
What the numbers show
Singapore's lead at the top of this ranking is 1.0% above the second-place country — a margin tight enough that the top spot has changed hands within the last five years and could change again.
The five countries leading the table — Singapore, Japan, Finland, France, Germany — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with United States anchoring the list at 186.
Figures are drawn from Henley Passport Index 2024. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- visa-free destinations
- Source
- Henley Passport Index 2024
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for most-powerful passports?
Singapore leads with 195 visa-free destinations. Japan is second at 193, with Finland in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the most-powerful passports ranking?
The figures come from Henley Passport Index 2024. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the most-powerful passports figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.