America is outside the top 10.. What are the strongest and weakest international and Arab passports in 2025? | Lifestyle

For the first time in 20 years, the American passport was removed from the list of the 10 most powerful passports in the world, after topping it in 2014.

According to the Henley & Partners report issued on October 14, 2025, the American passport fell from seventh place to 12th place, on par with Malaysia, as it allows its holder to enter 180 destinations out of 227 without a prior visa.

On the other hand, Singapore ranked first in the world with access to 193 destinations, followed by South Korea with 190 destinations, then Japan with 189 destinations. The top ranks also included European countries such as Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain with 188 destinations, while the United Kingdom came in eighth place with 184 destinations, and Canada came in ninth place with 183 destinations.

Reasons for the American decline

Experts believe that the decline reflects the decline in American openness and the increase in isolationist policies, especially after the tightening of travel and immigration restrictions.

Annie Forzheimer, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said, “The isolationist mentality in American politics has begun to be reflected in the loss of the American passport’s power,” pointing to “new legal obstacles and administrative walls to travel and temporary residence.”

The Henley report confirms that the weakness of the principle of reciprocity is one of the main reasons: while Americans can enter 180 countries without a visa, the United States only allows 46 nationalities to enter without a visa, ranking it 77th in the world in the “Henley Openness Index.”

International decisions also contributed to the decline:

• Brazil canceled visa-free entry for Americans in April 2025.
• China and Vietnam excluded the United States from the new exemption lists.

Electronic visa systems in Somalia, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea also contributed to a further decline.

Passport strength classification mechanism

The Henley & Partners index, in its classification of passport strength, is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and a specialized team reviews each passport against 227 destinations around the world, using publicly available information from government sources and reliable media, in order to ensure the data is accurate and keeps pace with continuous changes in visa policies.

The passport is given a score of “=1” if the holder does not need a prior visa to enter a particular country, or if he can obtain a visa upon arrival, or an “electronic visit permit” (eTA).

However, if entry requires a prior visa or an “electronic visa” (eVisa) that requires approval before departure, the passport is given a score of “= 0”.

On the other hand, the Passport Index relies on official government data, which is updated periodically through crowdsourced sources and supported by independent research from reliable sources.

This index uses a 3-level methodology to determine the ranking of each passport:

“Mobility Score – MS”: It includes the number of countries that can be entered without a visa, or via a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel permit, or an electronic visa issued within 3 days.

Ratio of visa-free entry to visas on arrival.

The Human Development Index (HDI) issued by the United Nations for 2018, is used as a weighting factor in case of equal scores between countries.

The 10 most powerful passports in the world in 2025

Below is a classification of the 10 most powerful passports and the countries that their holders can enter, according to the Henley & Partners index:

1. Singapore: 193 destinations.
2. South Korea: 190 destinations.
3. Japan: 189 destinations.
4. Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland: 188 destinations.
5. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands: 187 destinations.
6. Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden: 186 destinations.
7. Australia, Czechia, Malta, Poland: 185 destinations.
8. Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, UAE, United Kingdom: 184 destinations.
9. Canada: 183 destinations.
10. Latvia, Liechtenstein: 182 destinations.

The 10 weakest passports in the world in 2025

Below is a classification of the 10 weakest passports and the countries that their holders can enter, according to the Henley & Partners index:

1. Afghanistan: ranked 106th in the world, access to only 24 destinations without a prior visa.

2. Syria: Rank 105, holder can enter 26 destinations.

3. Iraq: ranked 104, allowing entry to 29 destinations.

4. Yemen: ranked 103, allows travel to 31 destinations.

5. Somalia: ranked 102nd, allowing entry to 33 destinations.

6. North Korea: Ranked 100, access to 38 destinations.

7. Libya: Ranked 99, entering 39 destinations.

8. Palestine: ranked 99, entering 39 destinations.

9. Eritrea: ranked 99, entering 39 destinations.

10. Sudan: ranked 98, entering 41 destinations.

Ranking of Arab passports globally in 2025

1. UAE (ranked 8) entering 184 destinations.
2. Qatar (ranked 52nd) entering 11 destinations.
3. Kuwait (ranked 55) entered 99 destinations.
4. Saudi Arabia (ranked 57) entering 90 destinations.
5. Bahrain (ranked 59) entering 88 destinations.
6. Oman (ranked 60) entering 87 destinations.
7. Morocco (ranked 70) entering 73 destinations.
8. Tunisia (ranked 75) entering 68 destinations.
9. Mauritania (ranked 85) entering 57 destinations.
10. Algeria (ranked 86) entering 56 destinations.
11. Comoros (ranked 89) entering 53 destinations.
12. Jordan (ranked 90) entering 52 destinations.
13. Egypt (ranked 91) entering 51 destinations.
14. Djibouti (ranked 94) entering 47 destinations.
15. Lebanon (ranked 96) entering 44 destinations.
16. Sudan (ranked 98) entering 41 destinations.
17. Libya (ranked 99) entering 39 destinations.
18. Palestine (ranked 99) entering 39 destinations.
19. Somalia (ranked 102) entering 37 destinations.
20. Yemen (ranked 103) entering 31 destinations.
21. Iraq (ranked 104) entering 29 destinations.
22. Syria (ranked 105) entering 26 destinations.