Singapore Reclaims Top Spot as World’s Most Powerful Passport : Henley Index 2026

Singapore has once again emerged as the world’s most powerful passport, according to the Henley Passport Index 2026. Singaporean citizens can now travel visa-free to 192 destinations out of 227 countries and territories worldwide.

The latest report shows that Asian countries dominate the top of the rankings. Following Singapore, Japan and South Korea share second place, with their citizens enjoying visa-free access to 188 destinations.

Under the Henley methodology, countries with the same score share the same rank. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland are jointly placed third, each with visa-free access to 186 destinations. Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway occupy fourth place with a score of 185.

Fifth place is shared by Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), each scoring 184. The UAE has recorded the most significant improvement in the 20-year history of the index, adding 149 visa-free destinations since 2006 and climbing 57 places in the rankings.

At the bottom of the index are conflict-affected nations. Afghanistan ranks last at 101st, with its citizens able to travel visa-free to just 24 destinations. Syria follows at 100th with access to 26 destinations, while Iraq ranks 99th with 29.

Bangladesh has shown a modest improvement in this year’s index, moving up five places to rank 95th. Bangladeshi passport holders currently have visa-free access to 37 destinations, compared with a ranking of 100th in the previous index.

Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the creator of the index, said that while global mobility has increased over the past two decades, its benefits have not been evenly distributed. He noted that passport strength has become a key determinant of opportunity, security, and economic participation.

The Henley Passport Index is published annually by London-based citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).