US President Donald Trump promised to ‘Make America Great Again.’ However, ever since he returned to the White House earlier this year, the US passport has been dropping in power rankings.
For the first time ever, the US passport has failed to make it to the list of the world’s top 10 most powerful passports.
That’s according to the latest Henley Passport Index, which ranks the US passport 12th, a place it shares with the Malaysian passport.
This is the first time in the two-decade history of the Henley Passport Index that the US passport has fallen out of the top 10 altogether.
The US, which boasts the world’s largest economy and the most powerful military, is ranked behind 35 countries’ passports, underlining the steep, sudden fall from grace of the US passport, which was ranked the world’s most powerful passport only a decade ago, in 2014.
But what makes a passport ‘powerful’?
How Are Passports Ranked?
At the most fundamental level, a passport’s rank is defined by the number of countries that allow the passport holder to enter without a visa.
The more countries that allow visa-free entry, the stronger that passport is.
On the other hand, the fewer the number of countries that allow visa-free entry, the weaker that passport is.
Henley Passport Index 2025 Rankings
The Henley Passport Index is created by the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners and uses exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association.
In the latest quarterly rankings, the Singapore passport is ranked the world’s most powerful.
The Singapore passport allows you to travel visa-free to 193 destinations worldwide out of a list of 227 countries and territories tracked by the index.
South Korea comes in a close second. The South Korean passport allows you to travel visa-free to 190 destinations worldwide.
South Korea is closely trailed by Japan, whose passport allows visa-free access to 189 countries.
This is the first time that Asian countries have held all three top spots in the passport rankings. In fact, all three countries are in Southeast Asia, and all are extremely small in size (Singapore and Japan are islands).
Their rankings at the top clearly establish that conventional military strength does not always translate into a stronger passport.
Five countries hold fourth spot: Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland. As many as 188 countries and territories allow visa-free access to passport holders of these countries.
Seven European countries hold the fifth spot: Belgium, Austria, Finland, Denmark, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Passports from these European countries allow visa-free access to 187 countries and territories.
In comparison, U.S. passport holders can travel visa-free to 180 countries.
The US passport is even ranked behind countries like Canada, the UK, the UAE, Australia, and Malta.
At the fag end, the Afghan passport is ranked the least powerful, allowing visa-free travel to just 24 places.
Above Afghanistan are Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Pakistan.
The Indian passport ranks 85th, granting visa-free access to 57 destinations.
The Chinese passport ranks 64th, enjoying visa-free access to 82 destinations.
The US Passport: Fall From Grace
As mentioned above, in 2014, the US passport was ranked the most powerful in the world.
Even in the July rankings, the US was clinging to the top 10. So what changed in the last quarter?
Apparently, a series of policy changes—from Brazil to China—affected the US passport rankings, and the Trump administration’s tariff policy and trade wars played a role.
In April, Brazil withdrew visa-free access for citizens from the US, Canada, and Australia due to a lack of reciprocity.
At the same time, China is adopting a more liberalised visa exemption policy, granting visa-free access to dozens of European countries, including Germany and France.
However, the US hasn’t made the cut, most likely due to the ongoing trade war between Beijing and Washington.
Papua New Guinea and Myanmar have also tweaked their entry policies, boosting the rankings of other passports while further eroding the US’s.
In its August policy, Vietnam also granted visa-free access to 12 countries, including the UK, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Denmark. However, once again, the US was missing from the list, further affecting its passport ranking.
“The declining strength of the US passport over the past decade is more than just a reshuffle in rankings — it signals a fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics,” said Christian H. Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners, in a statement.
“Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind,” he added.
Similarly, the UK passport has fallen to its lowest-ever position on the index, slipping two places since July—from 6th to 8th—despite once holding the top spot (in 2015).
Visa Reciprocity Matters More
While American passport holders can currently access 180 destinations visa-free, the US itself allows only 46 other nationalities to enter visa-free.
This places it at 77th position on the Henley Openness Index, which ranks all 199 countries and territories worldwide by the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa.
This disparity between visa-free access and openness is one of the widest globally, second only to Australia, and just ahead of Canada, New Zealand, and Japan.
Interestingly, all five nations with the biggest gaps between the travel freedom they enjoy and the openness they offer have either stagnated or declined in their passport power ranking over the past decade.
Annie Pforzheimer, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, notes that America’s retreat is rooted in politics.
“Even before a second Trump presidency, US policy had turned inward. That isolationist mindset is now being reflected in America’s loss of passport power.”
The Henley report notes that President Trump has suspended visa issuance to travelers from 12 nations across Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, imposed heavy restrictions on an additional seven, and threatened to impose bans on up to 36 more, the majority of them in Africa.
A visa bond of USD 5,000 to 15,000 now applies to seven African nations, refundable only upon departure. Plans are also underway to introduce a blanket USD 250 ‘visa integrity fee’ for most non-immigrant visa applications.
At the same time, the cost of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) nearly doubled on September 30, from USD 21 to USD 40.
China’s Rise As US Passport Falls
Ironically, as the US adopts a more isolationist policy, China, a historically closed society, is opening its borders, granting visa exemptions and introducing new visa categories, such as the recent K visa, to welcome talented young people from science backgrounds.
This change is also reflected in the steep rise in the strength of the Chinese passport.
China has been among the biggest climbers on the Henley Passport Index over the past decade, leaping from 94th place in 2015 to 64th in 2025, with its visa-free access score increasing by 37 destinations during that time.
On the Henley Openness Index, China has also risen dramatically, granting visa-free access to an additional 30 countries in the past year alone. It now sits in 65th position, providing entry to 76 nations — 30 more than the US.
These relaxed visa rules are leading to a significant increase in foreign arrivals in China.
According to the National Immigration Administration, foreign nationals made a total of 38.05 million trips to or from China in the first six months of 2025, an increase of 30.2 percent year on year. Of these trips, 13.64 million involved visa-free entries, which was an increase of 53.9 percent over the same period last year.
Dr. Tim Klatte, Partner at Grant Thornton China, highlights the geopolitical implications. “Trump’s return to power has bought fresh trade conflicts that weaken America’s mobility, while China’s strategic openness boosts its global influence. These diverging paths will reshape economic and travel dynamics worldwide.”
However, it must be noted that despite the apparent decline in strength, the US passport remains highly desirable, as evidenced by the strong response to Trump’s US$5 million “gold card” scheme.
Under this scheme, wealthy foreigners can get US citizenship after paying a US$5 million fee.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
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