In 2025 the ranking of the strongest passports in the world revealed an unexpected truth: the United States passport in fact reached its lowest level ever in the Henley Passport Index, placing itself only in tenth place.
A constant drop started in 2014, when the American document was at the top together with the British one. Today US citizens can access without visa to 182 destinations, four less than the previous year and 11 less than in Singapore, which dominates the ranking.
To adversely affect the position of the United States is a combination of factors. First of all, the growing restriction towards foreign travelers, with increasingly rigid measures to obtain entrance visas.
To this is added the introduction of a tax of $ 250, known as “Visa Integrity Fee”, which could discourage further mutual agreements. According to experts, Washington has lost ground also due to the lack of new bilateral agreements in the field of exemption from visas, while other countries move in the opposite direction.
The countries at the top of the ranking: there is also Italy
In stark contrast, Singapore guides Henley Passport Index 2025 thanks to free access to 193 destinations. In second place there are Japan and South Korea with 190. The third step of the podium is crowded by seven European countries: Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Denmark and Finland, all with 189 destinations reachable without visa.
This elite position is the result of stable diplomatic policies, low perception of migratory risk and wide participation in multilateral organisms. Italy, in particular, continues to stand out for its international reputation and the ability to maintain good relationships with a large number of states.
Who goes down and who goes up: bad united kingdom, well Emirates, China and India
It is not only the United States who have lost positions. The United Kingdom also saw its passport losing prestige, moving to sixth place with access to 186 destinations. On the contrary, countries like the United Arab Emirates have made impressive jumps: in ten years, the Eau passed from 42 ° to eighth place. China has also improved its position, passing from 94 ° to 60 °, while remaining excluded from the Schengen area.
Among the positive surprises, there is also India, climbing eight positions in the last six months, despite a modest increase in the number of destinations without visa. A clear signal that visa diplomacy can make a difference, even with minimal changes.
The latest positions: all marked by conflicts and internal instability
At the other extreme of the ranking we find the weakest passports. Afghanistan is at the bottom of the list, with only 25 countries accessible without visa. Follow Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and Nepal, all nations marked by conflicts, political isolation and internal instability. For citizens of these states, traveling is often an inaccessible luxury, due to high bureaucracy, high costs and frequent waste.
In an increasingly interconnected world from an economic point of view but politically fragmented, the passport is confirmed as a mirror of international relations. It is not only a document to move, but an indicator of the geopolitical weight of a nation.
An increasingly unequal world, even in travel
While the average number of destinations reachable without visa has almost doubled in the last twenty years (from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025), the disparities between passports are increasingly evident. Some countries quickly improve thanks to an active diplomatic strategy; Others, like the United States, seem to slow down just when the competition becomes more fierce. Those born in the “right” place today have a freedom of movement that is not obvious for everyone. And to remind us, year after year, is precisely this ranking.
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