Current:Home > ScamsSingapore's passport dethrones Japan as world's most powerful -Mastery Money Tools
Singapore's passport dethrones Japan as world's most powerful
View
Date:2025-04-14 15:53:07
If you hold a Singaporean passport, you're in luck.
The Southeast Asian country's citizenship document officially ranks as the most powerful in the world, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, which was published Tuesday.
According to the index, Singaporeans can travel to 192 out of 227 travel destinations in the world without a visa.
In a "major shake-up," Singapore beat out Japan, which has ranked No. 1 on the index for the last five years.
Japan fell behind Germany, Italy and Spain, all of whom are tied for second place, boasting 190 visa-free travel destinations for their passport holders.
Japan is now in a tie for third on the index with six other nations: Austria, France, Finland, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden with 189 destinations without a visa.
In comparison, the U.S. was quite a bit lower on the index, dropping down a spot from last year to eighth place, tied with Lithuania, with 184 travel destinations without a visa.
The U.S. and the United Kingdom have both been on a downward trend since 2014, when their passports ranked No. 1 in the world.
Over the last decade the U.S. has increased the number of destinations that its citizens can travel to without visas by 12, Henley & Partners said. However, that marks the smallest increase for any nation in the index's top 10.
According to Henley & Partners, a London-based global migration consultant group, only eight countries have seen less visa access than they had a decade ago.
Greg Lindsay, a global strategist at Cornell Tech's Jacobs Institute, said America's fall in the passport ranking is an indicator that the U.S. and other Western countries are "falling behind."
"America's relentless slide down the rankings — and unlikelihood of reclaiming the highest position any time soon — is a warning to its neighbor Canada and the rest of the Anglosphere as well," Lindsay said in a statement.
The U.S. also ranks low on "openness," only allowing 44 other nationalities to visit visa-free.
The index found that the three weakest passports in the world are Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, which can take you to 30, 29 and 27 destinations, respectively.
While many travelers have been seeing more freedom to travel visa-free over the years, the gap between the top and the bottom of the rankings has also widened.
"The general trend over the history of the 18-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, with the average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2023," Henley & Partners said. "However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access 165 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan."
The index is based upon exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association, a major travel information database.
- In:
- Travel
- Singapore
- Italy
- Spain
- Japan
Simrin Singh is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (44579)
Related
- Trump's 'stop
- Medicaid renewals are starting. Those who don't reenroll could get kicked off
- N.Y. Gas Project Abandoned in Victory for Seneca Lake Protesters
- Got muscle pain from statins? A cholesterol-lowering alternative might be for you
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Solar Industry to Make Pleas to Save Key Federal Subsidy as It Slips Away
- What worries medical charities about trying to help Syria's earthquake survivors
- North Dakota Supreme Court ruling keeps the state's abortion ban on hold for now
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Bear kills Arizona man in highly uncommon attack
Ranking
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Megan Fox Rocks Sheer Look at Sports Illustrated Event With Machine Gun Kelly
- The 4 kidnapped Americans are part of a large wave of U.S. medical tourism in Mexico
- California Adopts First Standards for Cyber Security of Smart Meters
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- As Trump Touts Ethanol, Scientists Question the Fuel’s Climate Claims
- Uh-oh. A new tropical mosquito has come to Florida. The buzz it's creating isn't good
- A man dies of a brain-eating amoeba, possibly from rinsing his sinuses with tap water
Recommendation
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
Jamie Lynn Spears Shares Big Update About Zoey 102: Release Date, Cast and More
N.Y. Gas Project Abandoned in Victory for Seneca Lake Protesters
Jimmy Buffett Hospitalized for Issues That Needed Immediate Attention
The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
Joe Biden Must Convince Climate Voters He’s a True Believer
This Week in Clean Economy: Major Solar Projects Caught Up in U.S.-China Trade War
Maternal deaths in the U.S. spiked in 2021, CDC reports