US passport drops in power ranking, Nigeria among the weakest in the world (Full list)
The United States has dropped to its lowest position yet in the ranking of most powerful passports in the world, courtesy of President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration and tariffs with Asian countries occupying the top three.
Nigeria ranked very low in the 2025 index occupying the 88th position with Ethiopia and Myanmar. All countries ranked with Nigeria can only enjoy visa-free entry into 45 countries. Passports of less endowed African countries like Kenya, Liberia, Uganda, Lesotho are ahead of Nigerian passport in terms of ranking.
South Africa passport is ranked 48 and holders can access 103 countries without visa. While Lesotho is ranked 65 with visa-free entry into 76 countries, eSwatini comes close at 66 with visa-free entry into 74 nations.
Republic of Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia placed a joint 71st position with visa-free privileges into 67 countries.
Americans once held the strongest passport for visa-free entry, with the US most recently topping the list in 2014 but the 2025 ranking now sees America drop to tenth place.
The Henley Passport Index was produced based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It analyzes how many countries a passport holder can enter without a prior visa.
In what has been a downward trend, the US is now tied with Iceland and Lithuania with 182 destinations.
The three most powerful passports are all from Asian countries, with Singapore’s passport – allowing visa-free entry to 193 destinations – holding the top spot, followed by
Japan and South Korea, both tied with 190 destinations.
In third place are Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain – all countries in the European Union – tie with 189 possible destinations.
The UK and US have each dropped a place in the global passport rankings since January, with the British passport – which topped the rankings in 2015, slipping from fifth to sixth place, with 186 destinations.
At the opposite end of the global mobility spectrum, Afghanistan is still at the bottom, with its citizens able to access just 25 destinations without a prior visa.
The UAE continues to be a standout, shooting up 34 places over the last 10 years from 42nd to eighth place.
China is also quickly moving up the rankings, rising 34 places from 94 to 60 since 2015 – an especially impressive feat, considering China has not yet gained visa-free access to Europe’s Schengen Area.
Meanwhile, the biggest faller on these rankings is Venezuela, which plunged 15 places from 30 to 45. Below are the rankings:
THE RANKING INDEX
- Singapore 193 (visa-free destinations)
- Japan, South Korea 190
- Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain 189
- Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden 188
- Greece, New Zealand, Switzerland 187
- United Kingdom 186
- Australia, Czechia, Hungary, Malta, Poland 185
- Canada, Estonia, UAE 184
- Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia 183
- Iceland, Lithuania, United States 182
- Liechtenstein, Malaysia 181
- Cyprus 178
- Bulgaria, Monaco, Romania 177
- Chile 176
- Andorra 171
- Argentina, Brazil, San Marino 170
- Hong Kong 169
- Israel 168
- Brunei 164
- Barbados 163
- Bahamas 159
- Mexico 158
- Uruguay 157
- Seychelles, St Vincent and the Grenadines 156
- Kitts and Nevis, Vatican City 154
- Antigua and Barbuda 152
- Costa Rica, Mauritius 149
- Panama, Trinidad and Tobago 148
- Grenada, Ukraine 147
- Paraguay, St. Lucia 146
- Macao 144
- Dominica, Peru 143
- Taiwan 139
- Serbia 138
- El Salvador 135
- Guatemala, Solomon Islands 134
- Colombia, Honduras 132
- North Macedonia 130
- Samoa, Tonga 129
- Marshall Islands, Montenegro 128
- Nicaragua, Tuvula 127
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau Islands 123
- Albania 122
- Moldova 121
- Venezuela 119
- Russian Federation, Türkiye 114
- Qatar 112
- South Africa 103
- Belize 102
- Kuwait 100
- Timor-Leste 96
- Ecuador 94
- Maldives 93
- Guyana, Saudi Arabia, Vanuatu 91
- Bahrain, Fiji 90
- Jamaica, Oman 88
- Nauru 87
- Papua New Guinea 86
- Botswana 85
- China 83
- Kosovo 82
- Belarus, Thailand 81
- Kazakhstan, Namibia 79
- Bolivia, Suriname 78
- Lesotho 76
- eSwatini, Indonesia 74
- Dominican Republic, Malawi, Morocco 73
- Azerbaijan 72
- Kenya, The Gambia 71
- Tanzania 70
- Armenia, Benin, Cape Verde Islands, Ghana, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia 67
- Mongolia, Philippines, Sierra Leone 65
- Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, Zimbabwe 63
- Mozambique, Uzbekistan 62
- Sao Tome and Principe 61
- Cuba, Togo 60
- Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, India, Senegal 59
- Gabon, Madagascar 58
- Guinea, Mauritania, Niger 57
- Equatorial Guinea, Tajikistan, 56
- Algeria, Mali 55
- Guinea-Bissau 54
- Cambodia, Chad, Comoro Islands, Haiti 52
- Bhutan, Central African Republic, Jordan, Liberia, Vietnam 51
- Cameroon, Egypt, Turkmenistan 49
- Angola, Burundi, Congo, Laos 48
- Djibouti 47
- Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria 45
- Lebanon 44
- Congo (Democratic Republic), South Sudan 43
- Iran, Sri Lanka 42
- Sudan 41
- North Korea 40
- Bangladesh, Eritrea, Palestinian Territory 39
- Libya, Nepal 38
- Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen 32
- Iraq 30
- Syria 27
- Afghanistan 25
Additional report by Mail Online