Singapore has retained the world's strongest passport for the third consecutive year in 2026, allowing holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 192 destinations worldwide, according to the Henley Passport Index released in July 2026 by Henley & Partners [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].

This marks a rise of 70 destinations compared to 2006, when Singapore passport holders could access approximately 122 countries without prior visas [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. The index ranked 199 passports and 227 travel destinations using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) [1, 3, 8, 9].

Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) share second place with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 188 destinations. Sweden ranks third with access to 187 destinations. Eleven European countries including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Spain tie for fourth place with 186 destinations each [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].

The UAE has seen the most significant improvement over 20 years, increasing access by 153 destinations from 2006 to 2026 to reach second place in the index [2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].

The United States passport ranked 10th, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 180 destinations, despite an increase of 50 destinations since 2006. Thirty-six countries ranked above the U.S. due to tied scores in the index [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].

Taiwan ranked 34th with access to 134 destinations, a decrease of one destination since June 2026, while China ranked 60th with access to 83 destinations [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].

Afghanistan holds the lowest-ranking passport with access to only 22 destinations, unchanged over the years [1, 4, 6, 9]. Most countries' passports have increased travel freedom over the last two decades with exceptions like Bolivia, which saw a decline of six destinations [4, 5, 6, 8].

Christian H. Kaelin, founder of the Henley Passport Index, said, "Passport power is one of the most direct reflections of a country's geopolitical capital over two decades of data. Countries with strong passports are viewed as preferred partners in trade, investment and security, because travel freedom is an indicator of how much countries value building relations with you." [1]

The Henley Passport Index was released on July 16, 2026, marking the 20th anniversary of the report ranking global passports and their travel freedom [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].