Henley Passport Index 2026: Singapore Tops, Japan and South Korea Share Second Place

Islamabad: The prestigious Henley Passport Index for 2026 has ranked the world’s most powerful passports based on the ease of international travel without a visa or with visa-on-arrival access.

Singapore claimed the top spot, allowing its citizens to travel visa-free or with visa-on-arrival to 192 out of 227 countries and territories. Japan and South Korea share the second position, offering access to 188 countries each. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland are tied for third place with 186 countries accessible without a visa.

A group of ten European nations, including Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, occupy the fourth spot, permitting visa-free travel to 185 countries. The United Arab Emirates rose to fifth place, gaining 149 new visa-free destinations since 2006 and climbing 57 ranks.

The United Kingdom suffered the biggest drop over the past year and now ranks seventh with visa-free access to 182 countries. The United States also slipped to 10th place, with its passport allowing entry to 179 countries without a visa.

At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan ranks 101st with access to only 24 countries, followed by Syria and Iraq at 100th and 99th, respectively. Pakistan shares the 98th position with Yemen.

The rankings highlight the growing dominance of Asian passports in global mobility, while some Western nations face declining travel freedom.