/ Aug 16, 2026
/ Aug 16, 2026

Singapore ranks as most powerful passport in the world, overtakes Japan 

Published on

By

Singapore now tops the ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, unseating Japan from the top spot.

Singaporeans enjoy visa-free entry to 192 destinations, more than travellers of any other country, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.

The Southeast Asian country last held the top spot in 2021, before losing its position to Japan the following year.

Germany, Italy and Spain were tied in second place, with their passport holders enjoying access to 190 destination.

Japan, which ranked first in four out of the last five years, took the number three spot with 189 destinations, tied with France, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Luxembourg, and South Korea.

The United States, which ranked first in 2014, dropped to eighth, its lowest position yet.

Afghanistan was ranked as the country with the least powerful passport with visa-free access to just 27 destinations, followed by Yemen, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq.

Read Also:

Simi Kosoko: Indecent dressing almost denied me int’l passport

Singapore overtakes Japan in ranking as most powerful passport in the world

Henley & Partners, a London-based immigration consultancy, compiles the annual ranking using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The index ranks countries based on the number of destinations its citizens can visit without a visa.

Greg Lindsay, a Cornell Tech executive, said the US’s continual decline in the ranking over the last decade could be due to the country’s lack of visa reciprocity.

“The reason for the US’s slump is both easy to explain and confounding: it isn’t trying,” Lindsay said in an analysis.

“Of the 34 countries ranked between 1 and 10, the US boasts the smallest increase in the Henley Passport Index scores between 2013 and 2023, with additional access to only 12 countries. Singapore, by contrast, has seen an increase of 25 additional countries during the same period, propelling it upward by five places to the number 1 rank.”

You May Like

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Most Popular

Must Read

Arsenal players celebrate their 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City at the Principality Stadium.

Arsenal thrash Man City 3-0 to lift Community Shield

Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield on Sunday, giving Mikel Arteta an early-season triumph while condemning new City boss Enzo Maresca to defeat in his first game in charge in the traditional curtain-raiser to the campaign.   With their fourth victory over City in the fixture, Arsenal maintained their 100% win record over their opponents with an emphatic performance at the Principality Stadium, where Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard found the net. “We showed our level today, we showed that we’re ready,” Odegaard told TNT Sports. “I think we showed that we’re serious, we want to do it again. There’s more trophies to go for and that’s the aim.” Having failed to convince in pre-season performances that raised a few eyebrows, Arsenal exploded into action with devastating effect right from kick-off, needing just 23 seconds to silence any lingering doubts about their readiness. Myles Lewis-Skelly was deployed in midfield and he threaded an excellent pass to set up left-back Calafiori, who calmly finished past Gianluigi Donnarumma to give Arsenal the perfect start against the FA Cup champions. The early strike — the first goal scored in the opening minute of the fixture in 58 years — set the tone for a dominant display where Arsenal looked fitter, sharper, more confident and full of attacking verve. Arsenal celebrate first premier league title since 2004 with massive parade City did not have a clear opportunity until the 20th minute, when Phil Foden curled a shot from range but David Raya was up to the task, diving to his right to deny the midfielder, and later saved a shot from Erling Haaland. Arsenal doubled their lead when Odegaard floated in a cross to the far post, where new signing Christos Tzolis headed the ball back across goal for Havertz to head home, with Donnarumma accidentally spilling the ball over the line. Arsenal needed just three minutes after the restart to make it 3-0, with Tzolis grabbing his second assist when he set up Odegaard, whose delicate first touch took the ball past Josko Gvardiol before he beat a wrong-footed Donnarumma with ease. Maresca’s side showed only flashes of their attacking threat, but Raya stood firm to preserve a clean sheet while Haaland — last season’s Golden Boot winner with 27 goals — was kept quiet and withdrawn before the hour mark. Arsenal kick off the new Premier League campaign on Friday against Coventry City, and Odegaard said they were going to play on the front foot to defend their crown. “We’re going to attack it. We want to do it again. It was an unbelievable achievement and experience for all of us,” he said. “When you get the taste of how nice it is, you want to do it again. And there’s also a few other ones we want to take,” he added, referring to the Champions League title that slipped through their fingers in the final against Paris Saint-Germain. “At this club, you want to win all of them. But of course, that’s a big one.” The Gunners’ victory over the FA Cup holders gave them their second trophy in four months and their 18th Community Shield title overall. The match was played at the Principality Stadium while Wembley hosts Canadian singer The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours til Dawn’ tour.
Read more

Editor's Pick

Trending News

Newsletter

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

You have been successfully Subscribed! Ops! Something went wrong, please try again.

© 2026 GongNews. All Rights Reserved.