Canada and Australia among world’s most powerful passports as US falls from top 10 for first time in 20 years

Vikrant Gungash
13 minutes ago
4 min read

By Vikrant Singh, October 23, 2025

The latest Henley Passport Index has delivered a shake-up in global travel freedom. Canada sits comfortably inside the top 10 for 2025, while Australia remains among the most mobile passports — and the United States has slipped out of the top 10 for the first time in the ranking’s 20-year history.

Key headline: as of 7 October 2025, Canadian passport holders can travel visa-free to 183 destinations, placing Canada ninth in the world. Australia is also in the top tier, and the very top spots are dominated by several Asian and European passports.

Who tops the list?

Henley & Partners ranks passports by a simple metric: a passport’s “visa score” — the number of destinations its holders can reach without first obtaining a visa. That includes visa-free entry, visa on arrival, visitor’s permits, and electronic travel authorizations (eTA). Using data supplied by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the index compares 199 passports and 227 destinations.

The top rankings for 2025 look like this:

Top 10 passports (Henley Passport Index, 2025)

Singapore — 193 destinations
South Korea — 190 destinations
Japan — 189 destinations
Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland — 188 destinations
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands — 187 destinations
Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden — 186 destinations
Australia, Czech Republic, Malta, Poland — 185 destinations
Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom — 184 destinations
Canada — 183 destinations
Latvia, Liechtenstein — 182 destinations

(Several countries share the same rank where their visa scores are identical.)

Trends and movements: Canada vs. USA

Canada’s position has shifted a little through 2025. At the start of the year (January 2025) Canada was ranked 7th with access to 188 destinations. In the July update it fell to 8th with access to 184 destinations. Now, in October, Canada is 9th with 183 visa-free destinations — still a very strong position globally and notably ahead of the United States.

The U.S. passport has seen a surprising decline: it fell three places since the July release and is no longer inside the top 10. That marks the first time in two decades that the U.S. has lost its top-ten status on the Henley list — a reminder that passport strength is sensitive to shifting bilateral visa rules and geopolitical changes.

Who’s holding steady (and why it matters)

Singapore continues to lead the index, demonstrating unusually broad visa-free access.
South Korea has climbed into second place, pushing Japan to third.
Several European countries remain clustered in the high-mobility bracket, showing the continued benefits of close diplomatic ties and travel agreements.

For citizens, a higher visa score equals more travel freedom: fewer visa applications, less paperwork, faster trip planning and greater spontaneity. For countries, passport strength reflects diplomatic relationships, travel facilitation policies and reciprocal arrangements.

The methodology — quick primer

Henley’s ranking uses IATA travel data plus its own research. To count as “visa-free” a destination must allow entry via one of these routes: visa-free entry, visa on arrival, visitor’s permit, or eTA. If a traditional visa or e-visa is required, that destination does not count toward the visa score.

What this means for travellers

Check requirements before you travel. Even if your passport has high global reach, individual destinations can have specific entry rules (vaccinations, eTA, or electronic forms).
Plan for change. Passport rankings can move quickly when countries change visa policy or diplomatic posture.
For lower-ranked passport holders: look for second-passport opportunities and long-term strategies if frequent international travel is important.

Bottom line

Canada and Australia remain ranked among the world’s most powerful passports in 2025 — offering broad travel freedom to their citizens — while the U.S. slipping from the top 10 underscores how dynamic passport power can be. Whether you travel frequently or only occasionally, the Henley Index is a helpful snapshot of how much mobility your passport actually buys you.

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