On January 08 2025, London (the United Kingdom, UK)-based Henley & Partners released the annual edition of Henley Passport Index 2025. As per the index, Singapore has reclaimed its title as the world’s most powerful passport with visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations worldwide, followed by Japan which secured 2nd rank with visa-free access to 193 destinations.
- India’s rank dropped from 80th spot (in 2024) to 85th spot (in 2025) on the list, with visa-free access to only 57 destinations of the world, down from 62 visa-free destinations in 2024.
- India shared its latest rank with two countries: Niger and Equatorial Guinea.
About Henley Passport Index:
i.The index was originally created by Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, compares 199 passports and 227 travel destinations annually for the last 19 years. Countries are ranked based on visa-free entry to citizens holding that country’s passport.
ii.The ranking is based on exclusive Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information.
Note: Â Timatic is a leading provider of real-time information on travel document requirements for international air travel.
List of Top 3 & Bottom 3 Countries:
| Top 3 Countries | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name of the Countries | Visa-Free Access to Destinations |
| 1 | Singapore | 195 |
| 2 | Japan | 193 |
| 3 | France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland and South Korea | 192 |
| India Rank | ||
| 85 | India, Equatorial Guinea and Niger | 57 |
| Bottom 3 Countries | ||
| 106 | Afghanistan | 26 |
| 105 | Syria | 27 |
| 104 | Iraq | 31 |
Key Highlights:
i.As per the index, several member states of the European Union (EU): France, Germany, Italy and Spain witnessed a decline in their ranking from 2nd position (in 2024) to 3rd spot (in 2025).
- These EU countries are ranked along with Finland and South Korea, with access to 192 destinations with no prior visa required.
ii.7 countries from EU i.e. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden shared 4th position on the list. All these 7 countries have visa-free access to 191 destinations.
iii.The 5th spot on the list is shared by 5 countries: Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK) and New Zealand, all these countries offer visa-free travel to 190 destinations.
iv.The remaining top 10 countries on the index is largely dominated by European countries, except to Australia (6th spot with 189 destinations), Canada (7th spot with 188 destinations), the United States of America (USA) (9th spot with 186 destinations) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (10th spot with 185 destinations).
v.Afghanistan secured 106th spot on the list and has the world’s weakest passport with visa-free access to only 26 destinations globally.
- It is followed by Syria (105th spot with 27 destinations), Iraq (104th with 31 destinations), Pakistan and Yemen (jointly ranked at 103th spot with 33 destinations).
Biggest Fallers and Climbers on the List:
i.The index showed that only 22 of the world’s 199 passports have witnessed a drop in their ranking in the last 10 years.
ii.Top 5 countries with biggest fall in their ranking between 2015 and 2025: Venezuela (from 30th spot to 45th spot), the USA (from 2nd spot to 9th spot) Vanuatu (from 48th spot to 54th spot), the UK (from 1st spot to 5th spot) and Canada (from 4th spot to 7th spot).
iii.As per the index, the UAE emerged as one of the biggest climbers on the index over the last 10 years, and secured access to an additional 72 destinations since 2015. Thus, the ranking of UAE jumped by 32 places to 10th spot.
iv.While, China also witnessed significant jump in its ranking from 94th (2015) to 60th (2025).
About Henley & Partners:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Dr. Juerg Steffen
Headquarters- London, United Kingdom (UK)
Established- 1997
