These Are the Most Powerful Passports in the World Right Now—and Why the U.S. Just Dropped in Ranking

Passports from the United States have fallen to historic lows following an updated ranking of the world’s most powerful passports.

U.S. passports fell below the top 10 of the world’s most powerful passports for the first time, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, which was released this week and is compiled using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The U.S. passport was ranked in 12th place with Americans granted visa-free access to 180 out of 227 total destinations around the world.

This was a significant drop from earlier this year when the U.S. came in at No. 9 on the list. The U.S. is now tied with Malaysia, according to the index.

“The declining strength of the U.S. passport over the past decade is more than just a reshuffle in rankings—it signals a fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics,” Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, the chairman of Henley & Partners, said in a statement. “Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind.”

Henley & Partners attributed the drop in the power of the U.S. passport in part to the loss of visa-free travel to Brazil due to a lack of reciprocity and “being left out of China’s rapidly expanding visa-free list.” The U.S. was also excluded from visa-free access to countries like Vietnam.

When it comes to visiting the U.S., only travelers from 46 other countries can enter without a visa. 

The most valuable passport in the world came from Singapore, which provides visa-free access to 193 different destinations. South Korea ranked second with visa-free access to 190 destinations, and Japan came in third with visa-free access to 189 destinations. 

When traveling internationally, many countries require American passports to be valid for at least six months beyond the dates of a trip and some airlines won’t allow travelers to board a flight if that’s not the case, according to the State Department. Currently, passport processing times are coming in at four to six weeks for routine service and two to three weeks for expedited service. The State Department recently began accepting renewal requests online. 

Passports serve as documentation to enter a country, but they have also become a popular souvenir. However, some countries are doing away with beloved passport stamps. The European Union, for example, just started rolling out a new Entry and Exit System (EES) in which travelers use biometric data to gain entry to 29 European countries.