Ever stopped to think about your ‘passport privilege’? If you own a British and Northern Irish passport, there’s a chance that you’ve taken for granted just how many countries it allows you into. With that powerful little blue book (or burgundy, if you’ve still got an old one), we can freely enter more nations than most other people on the planet.
Four times each year, the Henley Passport Index from Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports based on how easily their holders can travel the world. UK passports have always placed reasonably high on the ranking, but in Henley’s most recent report it has suffered a slight fall.
There are actually 36 countries in Henley’s top 10, with a lot of nations sharing a rank. But in at number six, all on its own, is the UK. That’s two places down since last year’s index (after falling to number five at the start of the 2025). Right now, British passport owners have visa-free access to 186 places around the world. In mid-2024 that number was at 191.
Our passport enjoyed the number one spot for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015 but since then has largely been on a downward trajectory. The lowest it has ever been was in 2020 and 2021 when it was booted down to seventh place. Still, we can’t really complain — the UK passport remains one of the strongest in the world.
We’re not alone in tumbling down the index — the US passport was bumped down from ninth to 10th place, which is its worst position since the index started in 2006. Dr Juerg Steffen, the chief executive officer at Henley & Partners, said: ‘Americans are now leading the demand worldwide for alternative residence and citizenship options, with British nationals also among the top five globally.
‘As the US and UK adopt increasingly inward-looking policies, we’re witnessing a marked rise in interest from their citizens seeking greater global access and security.’
While the top 10 is dominated by European nations, three Asian states sit on the podium. Singapore’s passport topped the chart for the second year in the row with access to 193 destinations, followed by Japanese and South Korean passports, which both allow holders into 190 countries visa-free. Afghanistan remains at the bottom of index. Its citizens can only access 26 other countries visa-free.
The Henley Passport Index top 20 strongest passports in the world
- Singapore
- Japan; South Korea
- Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Ireland; Italy; Spain
- Austria; Belgium; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Norway; Portugal; Sweden
- Greece; New Zealand; Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- Australia; Czechia; Hungary; Malta; Poland
- Canada; Estonia; United Arab Emirates
- Croatia; Latvia; Slovakia; Slovenia
- Iceland; Lithuania; United States
- Liechtenstein; Malaysia
- Cyprus
- Bulgaria; Monaco; Romania
- Chile
- Andorra
- Argentina; Brazil; San Marino
- Hong Kong (SAR China)
- Israel
- Brunei
- Barbados
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