Henley Passport Index

This is a taste2travel post on the Henley Passport Index.

Latest Update – July 2026

Introduction

Updated: July 2026

Henley & Partners of London have just released their July 2026 update of the Henley Passport Index – the 20^th anniversary edition of the index which was first published in 2006.

Strongest Passports

Singapore retains its position as the world’s most powerful passport with visa-free, or visa-on-arrival, access to 192 destinations, while the United Arab Emirates is the biggest mover since January, climbing three places to join Japan and South Korea in 2^nd place with access to 188 destinations.

The UAE passport is the star of the mobility index, having now added 153 visa-free destinations over the last 20 years and rising from the middle of the rankings to become one of the world’s most powerful passports.

The United States passport, which has been losing strength in recent years, remains in 10^th place and is now one of the few top-ranked passports whose citizens still require a visa to visit China.

Weakest Passports

Sadly, the passport of Afghanistan continues to maintain last place on the index, providing visa-free access to just 22 countries.

There are further complications for Afghans who wish to travel, which I discuss further below.

What exactly is the Passport Index?

The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

Since 2006, the index has measured the strength of 199 different passports, and the visa-free access they enjoy to 227 travel destinations – both countries and territories.

A Measure of Passport Power

In 1984, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, passed a law offering citizenship to individuals who “made a substantial investment in the state” and were of good character and not a threat to the country.

Since then, other Caribbean nations such as Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia and Grenada have introduced their own citizenship programs which allow for those willing to pay a substantial fee the opportunity to easily acquire a 2nd passport.

For consulting firms in the residence and citizenship-by-investment industry, there is a need to rank the ‘quality’ or ‘power’ of different passports.

One such firm – Henley & Partners – publish the Henley Passport Index which is an annual ranking of all the passports of the world according to the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free.

The ranking is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains a comprehensive database of global travel information. The IATA data is augmented by in-house research conducted by Henley & Partners itself.

Index Mechanics

The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.

For each travel destination, if no visa is required for passport holders from a country or territory, then a score with value = 1 is created for that passport. A score with value = 1 is also applied if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) when entering the destination.

These visa-types require no pre-departure government approval, because of the specific visa-waiver programs in place.

Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder has to obtain a government-approved electronic visa before departure, a score with value = 0 is assigned. A score with value = 0 is also assigned if passport holders need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival, a scenario not considered ‘visa-free’.

The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required (value = 1), under the conditions defined above.

Henley Passport Index Download

The Henley Passport Index

Click to view/ download the latest Henley Passport Index  

2026 Henley Passport Index

2026 – Top 10 Passports

The Singapore passport is ranked as the world’s most powerful passport.

The world’s most powerful passports, as of July 2026, are: 

1. Singapore (192 destinations)
2. Japan, South Korea, United Arab Emirates (188)
3. Sweden (187)
4. Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain (186)
5. Austria, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Switzerland (185)
6. Hungary, Poland, United Kingdom (184)
7. Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Latvia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Slovakia, Slovenia (183)
8. Croatia, Estonia (182)
9. Liechtenstein, Lithuania (181)
10. Iceland, United States (180)

Once again, the strongest passport in the world is Singapore, which offers visa-free access to 192 (out of 227) countries and territories.

Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates occupy 2nd place offering visa-free travel to 188 of 227 countries and territories.

On the downside – the passport of the United States remains in 10th position, down from its previous highs.

2026 – Bottom 10 Passports

According to the 2026 Henley Passport Index, the Afghan passport is, once again, the weakest passport in the world.

At the other end of the mobility indexs, the world’s weakest passports, as of July 2026, are: 

1. Afghanistan (22 destinations)
2. Syria (25)
3. Iraq (28)
4. Pakistan (29)
5. Yemen (30)
6. Somalia (32)
7. Nepal (34)
8. Bangladesh, North Korea (35)
9. Iran, Palestinian Territory (37)
10. Eritrea (38)

Just as Singapore maintains its top position in the index, sadly, Afghanistan continues to maintain last place, providing visa-free access to just 22 countries.

What is not reflected in the index is the added complication for Afghans in that almost all embassies in Kabul closed their doors when the Taliban swept to power.

The only way for Afghans to apply for a visa is to first leave their country, often on foot, and travel overland to a neighbouring country where they can then apply for a visa which will allow them to travel.

Online Passport Comparison

The Henley website allows you to compare your passport.

The Henley & Partners website allows you to compare the strength of your passport and to view the performance of your passport during the 20 years in which the index has been compiled.

This feature will also list all countries which are visa-free for the selected nationality.

How does your passport measure up? 

That’s the end of this featured article on the Henley Passport Index.

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Safe Travels!

Darren