Henley Passport Index 2026: Singapore Leads, UK and US Passports Decline

Passports serve as crucial sovereign documents that grant holders the ability to travel freely and exert international influence, reflecting a nation's political and economic standing globally.
The Henley Passport Index for 2026 has published its annual rankings, utilizing data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to evaluate 199 passports based on their access to 227 destinations worldwide without requiring a visa in advance.

Singapore Retains Top Position

For the third consecutive year, Singapore's passport has secured the top position globally, allowing holders to enter 192 countries visa-free, underscoring the increasing prominence of Southeast Asian nations.

Japan and South Korea Share Second Place

Japan and South Korea rank second, with access to 188 countries without a visa, highlighting the strong representation of Asian passports in the upper echelon of the index.

European Countries in Third Place
Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland share the third spot, with their passports granting entry to 186 countries, reinforcing Europe's robust standing in global travel freedom.

UAE Achieves Top Ten Status

In fourth place, a consortium of European nations, including Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway, ranks alongside Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United Arab Emirates in fifth place, each allowing access to 184 countries, marking a significant advancement for the UAE passport on the global stage.

Declines for the UK and US

The rankings indicate a significant drop for both the United Kingdom and the United States:
The UK has fallen to seventh place, permitting entry to 182 countries without a visa, down from fifth in 2025 and fourth in 2024, reflecting the ongoing effects of its exit from the European Union.
The United States has also slipped to tenth place, with access to 179 countries, following a ninth-place finish in 2025 and seventh in both 2023 and 2024.

Overview of the Top Ten

The 2026 top ten passports include:
Sixth place: Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, Poland (183 countries).
Eighth place: Canada, Iceland, Lithuania (181 countries).
Ninth place: Malaysia (180 countries).

Asian and European Passports Dominate
The Henley 2026 ranking illustrates the sustained superiority of Asian and European passports in global mobility, as traditional Western powers face mounting challenges in maintaining the flexibility of their passports and international influence in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape.