09/13/2026
THE PASSPORT POWER GAP (Pt. 2)
Forty of the Worldâs Most Powerful Passportsâand the Ten Weakest.
How the Ranking Is Calculated
The Henley Passport Indexâ compares 199 passports with 227 travel destinations and is updated monthly.
A passport receives one point for every destination accessible without obtaining a conventional visa before departure.
Visa-free entry, visa on arrival, visitor permits and automatically approved electronic travel authorizations generally count toward the score.
A destination normally receives zero points when a traditional visa or manually approved e-visa must be secured before departure.
Passports with the same score share the same rank; consequently, 40 countries can occupy far fewer than 40 ranking positions.
The index measures travel access, not passport security technology, citizenship rights, taxation, quality of life, personal wealth or the right to live and work permanently abroad. Its underlying travel information comes from IATA data. Henley methodology and scopeâ
Approximately 40 Most Powerful Passports
The following table uses a published 2026 Henley snapshot. Because countries share positions, these 40 passports occupy the first 11 ranking tiers. Published 2026 rankingâ
Rank:
Passport(s). Access score
1. Singapore 192
2. Japan; South Korea 188
3. Denmark; Luxembourg; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland 186
4. Austria; Belgium; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Ireland; Italy; Netherlands; Norway
185
5. Hungary; Portugal; Slovakia; Slovenia; United Arab Emirates 184
6. Croatia; Czechia; Estonia; Malta; New Zealand; Poland 183
7. Australia; Latvia; Liechtenstein; United Kingdom 182
8. Canada; Iceland; Lithuania 181
9. Malaysia 180
10. United States 179
11. Bulgaria; Romania 178
The 40 Passports Individually
1. Singapore
2. Japan
3. South Korea
4. Denmark
5. Luxembourg
6. Spain
7. Sweden
8. Switzerland
9. Austria
10. Belgium
11. Finland
12. France
13. Germany
14. Greece
15. Ireland
16. Italy
17. Netherlands
18. Norway
19. Hungary
20. Portugal
21. Slovakia
22. Slovenia
23. United Arab Emirates
24. Croatia
25. Czechia
26. Estonia
27. Malta
28. New Zealand
29. Poland
30. Australia
31. Latvia
32. Liechtenstein
33. United Kingdom
34. Canada
35. Iceland
36. Lithuania
37. Malaysia
38. United States
39. Bulgaria
40. Romania