PUBLISHED ONJanuary 10, 2025 4:21 AMByCarol OngWhether it's jetting off for a trip across the globe or a short getaway nearby, Singaporeans enjoy the luxury of travelling without much worry about getting a visa, thanks to the strength of our passport.
Singapore has yet again emerged strongly, having the world's most powerful passport according to the 2025 Henley Passport Index. This is the second year in a row that Singapore has clinched the top spot since 2024.
For those who aren't familiar, the Henley Passport Index is compiled by global citizenship and advisory firm Henley & Partners based on the number of visa-free destinations the passport holders has access to.
It includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.
Based on the index's latest rankings released this Wednesday (Jan 8), Singapore currently ranks number one — with visa-free access to 195 travel destinations.
In January 2024, Singapore also ranked first but alongside France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain with visa-free access to 194 destinations.
In a later list released in July the same year, Singapore clinched the only number one spot with visa-free access to 195 destinations.
Japan ranks number two on this year's index with visa-free access to 193 travel destinations.
Third place is shared by six countries with visa-free access to 192 travel destinations: Finland, France, Italy, Germany, South Korea and Spain.
| Rank in 2025 | Country | Visa-free access destinations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 195 |
| 2 | Japan | 193 |
| 3 | Finland | 192 |
| 3 | France | 192 |
| 3 | Germany | 192 |
| 3 | Italy | 192 |
| 3 | South Korea | 192 |
| 3 | Spain | 192 |
| 4 | Austria | 191 |
| 4 | Denmark | 191 |
| 4 | Ireland | 191 |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 191 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 191 |
| 4 | Norway | 191 |
| 4 | Sweden | 191 |
| 5 | Belgium | 190 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 190 |
| 5 | Portugal | 190 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 190 |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 190 |
| Source: Henley & Partners | ||
Malaysia ranks 12th this year, with visa-free access to 183 travel destinations. They also ranked 12th last year with 182 travel destinations.
At the bottom of the 2025 index is Afghanistan — with 26 visa-free travel destinations. They are followed closely by Syria in second to the last with 27 visa-free travel destinations.
Iraq is third to last with visa-free access to 31 travel destinations.
| Rank in 2025 | Country | Visa-free access destinations | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | Somalia | 35 | |||
| 103 | Pakistan | 33 | |||
| 103 | Yemen | 33 | |||
| 104 | Iraq | 31 | |||
| 105 | Syria | 27 | |||
| 106 | Afghanistan | 26 | |||
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They maintained the same positions from last year — with 28, 29 and 31 visa-free travel destinations respectively.
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carol.ong@asiaone.com
