The World’s Most (and Least) Powerful Passports

Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world, with its citizens able to visit 195 countries and territories without a prior visa, according to the Henley Passport Index. Japan comes in second place, with its citizens able to visit 193 countries, followed by Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain in joint third, with access to 192 countries.

Even though the United States is a little further down the list, coming in 9th place, it still yields considerable power, enabling citizens to enter 186 countries without major restrictions. It’s a level of freedom also enjoyed by passport holders in Estonia.

At the other end of the scale, the situation is very different. For passport holders in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, for example, travel is more restrictive to most countries. The Afghan passport wields the least power of the ranking, with just 26 destinations permissible visa-free. The situation in Syria and Iraq isn’t much better, at 27 and 31 destinations, respectively.

The Henley Passport Index draws from data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), including 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.