The World’s Most (and Least) Powerful Passports

Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world, according to the Henley Passport Index, with its citizens able to visit 192 countries without a prior visa. Germany, Italy and Spain come in joint second place, with their citizens able to visit 190 countries.

Even though the United States is a little further down the list, coming in 8th place, it still yields considerable power, enabling citizens to enter 184 countries without major restrictions. It’s a level of freedom also enjoyed by passport holders in Lithuania.

At the other end of the scale, the situation is very different. For passport holders in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria for example, travel is more restrictive to most countries. The Afghan passport wields the least power of the ranking, with just 27 destinations permissible visa-free. The situation in Iraq and Syria isn’t much better, at 29 and 30 destinations, respectively.

The Henley Passport Index draws from data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), including 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.