India, US See Decline in Their Passport Power, Singapore Tops Rankings: Report
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: Both India and the US have witnessed substantial drops in their passport power, with the Indian passport falling to 85th place, offering visa-free access to 57 countries, down from 59 in 2024. According to the 2025 Henley Passport Index, which ranks the world’s most travel-friendly passports, for the first time in the index’s history, the US has dropped out of the global top 10, reported New Indian Express.
At present the US passport ranks 12th, and is tied with South East Asian Malaysia, offering visa-free access to 180 destinations out of 227.
The Henley Passport Index measures the number of destinations that passport holders can visit without needing a prior visa. The rankings are arrived on the basis of exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
While traditionally the US was is seen as one of the most powerful passports, it has been overtaken by 36 other countries owing to changes in visa policies and stringent entry conditions in some parts of the world, said the New Indian Express report.
Three Asian countries are leading the rankings in 2025, with Singapore grabbing the top spot with access to 193 destinations visa-free. It is followed by South Korea with 190 destinations and Japan with 189 destinations.
Visa-free entry is at present available to 16 destinations for Indian passport holders, including Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, Mauritius, and Trinidad and Tobago.
There are also 27 countries which offer visas on arrival, such as Sri Lanka, Maldives, Jordan, Qatar, Cambodia, Bolivia, Mongolia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Myanmar.
While the US passport still grants access to a large number of countries, its relative ranking has gone down.
Some of the factors which have contributed to this include evolving diplomatic relationships, reciprocal visa requirements, and increased global competition in mobility access.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has dropped to 103rd place, and is tied with Yemen, offering visa-free access to only 31 countries, down from 32 last year. For the fifth consecutive year, Pakistan is among the world’s weakest passports, primarily because of persistent regional instability and limited diplomatic reach.
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