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Passport Index: Which country has the most passport power?
The world’s most powerful passports
The most recent 2025 passport index has just been released by Henley & Partners and according to the list, Singapore is still the most powerful passport in the world with its citizens able to visit 193 visa-free travel destinations out of 227 around the world.
Japan and South Korea both ranked second for most powerful, with its citizens able to visit 190 visa-free travel destinations out of 227 around the world.
Third were the nations of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain, with its citizens able to visit 189 visa-free destinations.
Each year, Henley & Partners releases their Passport Index, which essentially ranks the travel documents from all the different countries in the world and determines their power.
By ‘power’, the index refers to the ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
According to the factsheet:
“the index’s scoring system was developed to give users a practical, and reliable overview of their passport’s power. Each passport is scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free. For each travel destination, if no visa is required, then a score of 1 is allocated for that passport. This also applies if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) upon entry.”
South Africa’s passport now comes in at number 47, up from number 52 last year.
According to this position, South African passport holders can travel to 104 countries visa-free.
TOP FIVE PASSPORTS ON THE LIST
According to the latest rankings, here are the most powerful passports in the world:
| Rank | Country | Number of visa-free countries |
| 1 | Singapore | 193 |
| 2 | Japan | 190 |
| 2 | South Korea | 190 |
| 3 | Denmark | 189 |
| 3 | Finland | 189 |
| 3 | France | 189 |
| 3 | Germany | 189 |
| 3 | Ireland | 189 |
| 3 | Italy | 189 |
| 3 | Spain | 189 |
| 4 | Austria | 188 |
| 4 | Belgium | 188 |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 188 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 188 |
| 4 | Norway | 188 |
| 4 | Portugal | 188 |
| 4 | Sweden | 188 |
| 5 | Greece | 187 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 187 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 187 |
Where’s your next travel destination in 2025?
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