The American (US) passport is not among the strongest passports of all time as per the 2025 Henley Passport Index anymore, at least it is not in the top 10 passports.
For the layman, the 2025 Henley Passport Index is an authoritative global ranking of all the world’s passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
With a US passport, an individual can visit about 180 countries visa-free. The passport has a mobility score of 168, visa-free access to 111 countries, a passport power rank of 9, and a world reach of 84%. Yet, for the first time since the Henley Passport Index began in 2005, the United States passport has fallen out of the global top 10 in terms of travel freedom and now ranks 12th.
The US topped the list back in 2014, but its ranking has fallen since then. Even though a U.S. B1/B2 visa is difficult to obtain, it could be a great benefit if you plan to travel not only to America, but also to many other countries that recognise and accept the U.S. B1/B2 visa.
US drops out of the world’s top 10 most powerful passports for the first time in 20 years.
The US fell out of the Henley Passport Index top 10 due to countries like Brazil, China, and Vietnam limiting visa-free access for Americans. #UnitedStates #US #HenleyPassportIndex2025 pic.twitter.com/0gZdVpMd97
— The Tatva (@thetatvaindia) October 15, 2025
Consequently, several factors have led to the decline of the passport. First, Brazil ended visa-free access for American citizens earlier this year, citing a lack of reciprocity. Vietnam and Somalia also recently excluded America from updated visa-free or eVisa programs. Meanwhile, China has expanded visa-free entry to multiple countries, enhancing its own passport ranking.
On 30 July 2025, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order imposing a 40% ad valorem duty on Brazilian-origin imports, effective from 6 August 2025. Together with the existing 10% tariff, the total duty on most Brazilian goods is now 50%.
Furthermore, with political instability, a lot of things have been affected. The country is currently going through a total government shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), disrupting essential national security and public safety services after Congress failed to pass a new funding bill. As of October 14, the shutdown has entered its second week with no proper resolution yet.
On the contrary, the declining rank of the passport has also put Trump and the Republican Party’s credibility in question. “The declining strength of the U.S. passport signals a shift in global mobility and soft power,” said Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners. “Countries that prioritize openness and cooperation are moving ahead, while others are being left behind.”
“… the United States is no longer ranked amongst the world’s Top 10 most powerful passports.” pic.twitter.com/F3aL4tYZCj
— David Ingles (@DavidInglesTV) October 14, 2025
The top three most powerful passports in the world as of 2025 are all Asian; Singapore ranks in the number one position with 193 visa-free destinations, followed by South Korea at 190 and Japan at 189.
In addition, China has seen a boost, climbing from 94th place in 2015 to 64th in 2025. Chinese citizens now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 80 destinations, up from 43 just a decade ago. Similarly, according to the Henley Passport Index 2025, India’s passport is ranked 77th, an improvement from its previous 85th position. With an Indian passport, you can travel to up to 59 countries visa-free.
According to the Henley Passport Index, the current top 10 countries with the strongest passports are:
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Singapore – 193 destinations
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South Korea – 190
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Japan – 189
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Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland – 188
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Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands – 187
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Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden – 186
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Australia, Czech Republic, Malta, Poland – 185
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Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, UAE, United Kingdom – 184
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Canada – 183
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Latvia, Liechtenstein – 182
Source: The Mirror US
Disclaimer: All the data for this article has been taken from secondary sources that have been mentioned. They are subject to change at any given moment.
