A passport is a small booklet, yet it quietly decides how much of the world you can reach on short notice. The Henley Passport Index measures that. It uses International Air Transport Association data to rank 199 passports against 227 travel destinations, and it’s revised as visa policies change through the year.[1]
Henley counts more than classic visa free entry. Its data covers visa free access, visa on arrival, and electronic travel authorization.[2] Because the index updates quarterly[3], the figures below come from the July to October 2026 editions, and a few counts differ slightly between releases.
1. Singapore: The Leader at 193 Destinations
In the October 2026 Henley Passport Index, Singapore is number one with 193 destinations.[4] That’s one more than the 192 recorded in earlier 2026 editions. It was the third consecutive year Singapore held the top spot.[5]
The distance from the bottom is striking. At 193, Singapore reaches 171 more destinations than Afghanistan.[6] Back in 2006, the strongest passports, from the USA, Denmark and Finland, offered 130 destinations[3], so the ceiling has risen a lot in two decades.
2. Japan: A Steady Second at 188
Japan sits in a three way tie for second place. Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates share second place with 188 each.[4] The same pairing of Japan and South Korea at 188 also showed up earlier in the year.
In plain terms, 188 of 227 tracked destinations means a Japanese traveler can reach more than four in five of them without arranging a visa first. That’s a remarkable run for one booklet. Still, Singapore keeps a five destination lead.
3. South Korea: Tied With Japan and the UAE
South Korea mirrors Japan’s numbers exactly in the latest update. Japan and South Korea shared second place in the 2026 index, offering access to 188 countries.[5] The October edition kept that score intact.
Look at the top four in October and a pattern shows up. Singapore leads, with Japan, South Korea and the UAE right behind.[4] Asia and the Gulf now occupy the first rungs, a notable shift from the 2006 table.
4. United Arab Emirates: The Biggest Climber
No passport has gained as much over two decades. The UAE added 149 visa free destinations since 2006 and climbed 57 places, reaching fifth in the 2026 edition with 184 destinations.[7] Henley credited sustained diplomatic engagement and visa liberalization.
By October the Emirati passport had moved higher still. The October 2026 edition puts the UAE level in second place.[8] One caveat from the same coverage: a Henley score reflects what holders of a passport can do, and says nothing about whether a foreign national can obtain it.[8]
5. Sweden: Europe’s Best at 187
Sweden is the highest ranked European passport in the October table. In third place, Sweden has 187 destinations.[4] Only one destination separates it from the Asian trio above.
Its Nordic neighbors aren’t far behind. Finland, Luxembourg, Austria and Denmark each carry access to destinations numbering in the high 180s.[1] The European pack is tightly bunched, so small treaty changes can reshuffle it.
6. Germany: Part of a Large 186 Cluster
Germany doesn’t stand alone. In the July 2026 listing, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain all sit at 186 destinations.[9] That’s eleven passports sharing one score.
Ties like this explain why exact positions wobble from one release to the next. Membership in the middle of the top ten shuffles with every release.[10] A single new agreement can move a country up or down.
7. Switzerland: One Step Below
Switzerland records 185 destinations in the July 2026 listing. Austria, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Switzerland share that tier.[9] It trails the 186 group by just one destination.
The Swiss entry is a reminder that strength isn’t only an EU story. Switzerland isn’t an EU member, yet its holders travel almost as freely as those from the largest member states. For most trips, one destination of difference won’t matter.
8. United Kingdom: Down From Its Old Perch
The British passport still opens a lot of doors, with Hungary, Poland and the United Kingdom all at 184[9] in the July listing. In the August 2026 update, the UK was sixth with 184 destinations.[4] That’s solid by any standard.
The long view is less flattering. The UK ranks as the fourth biggest faller over two decades, down four places from third in 2006 to seventh in 2026.[11] Some relief came from China, which in February 2026 announced visa free entry for ordinary passport holders from Canada and the UK, for stays of up to 30 days through the end of 2026.[12]
9. Canada: Ahead of Its Southern Neighbor
Canada’s passport offers 183 destinations in the July 2026 table, alongside Australia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Slovakia and Slovenia.[9] That puts it near the top without making headlines.
The comparison with the United States is the interesting part. Henley’s January 2026 update has Canada in 8th place, while the United States sits 10th.[12] Canada also appears there among the notable non European passports near the top, with Australia and New Zealand.
10. United States: Holding Tenth Place
The American passport is still in the top ten, though not comfortably. In the August 2026 update, the United States was 10th with 180 destinations.[4] One report calls its joint tenth place with Iceland the lowest ranking in the index’s 20 year history.[13]
There’s a reciprocity wrinkle too. Henley’s 2026 release notes that while US passport holders enjoy visa free access to 179 destinations, America allows only 46 nationalities to enter without a prior visa.[7] The accompanying analysis also warns that a late 2025 proposal by US Customs and Border Protection could effectively end visa free travel under the Visa Waiver Program.[7]
11. Afghanistan: The Weakest at 22
Afghanistan sits last. Its holders can enter 22 of 227 destinations without a prior visa, a figure unchanged in Henley’s October 2026 update.[6] In an earlier 2026 edition, the count was a little higher at 24.
The gap has grown over time. The 2026 gap between the top passport and Afghanistan’s is 168 destinations, compared with 118 in 2006.[7] One complication the index doesn’t capture: almost all embassies in Kabul closed their doors when the Taliban swept to power.[9]
12. Syria: Second From the Bottom
Syrian passport holders can access 25 destinations without a prior visa, a count unchanged in the October update.[6] Earlier in 2026, listings showed 26. Either way, it sits just ahead of Afghanistan.
The scale of the difference is easy to state. Singapore’s total is more than seven times Syria’s.[6] Analysts point to diplomatic isolation as one factor, as Syria and Libya maintain limited foreign relations to varying degrees.[10]
13. Iraq: Third Weakest With 28
Iraq reaches 28 destinations. That’s its count in the July 2026 edition, unchanged in the October update.[6] One earlier 2026 listing had it at 29.
Iraq’s position is persistent rather than new. Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Yemen occupy the lowest positions cycle after cycle.[1] Twenty eight destinations is roughly one eighth of the 227 the index tracks.
14. Pakistan: Fourth Weakest at 29
Pakistan has the fourth weakest passport in 2026, with access to 29 destinations without a prior visa in the July edition, unchanged in October.[6] One earlier tally in the year put it at 31, tied with Yemen.
It helps to remember what the number includes. Henley counts visa on arrival and electronic authorization alongside true visa free entry, so those 29 aren’t all effortless. The index also ignores temporary restrictions or airspace closures.[14]
15. Yemen: Fifth Weakest at 30
Yemen has the fifth weakest passport in 2026, with access to 30 destinations without a prior visa in the July edition, unchanged in October.[6] Earlier in the year it shared 31 with Pakistan.
Prolonged conflict is the common thread among the bottom passports. Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia have all experienced prolonged wars or insurgencies.[10] Yemen’s score rarely moves far from the low thirties.
16. Somalia: Sixth Weakest at 32
Somalia has the sixth weakest passport in 2026, with access to 32 destinations without a prior visa in the July 2026 edition.[6] That’s ten more than Afghanistan, yet still far below the roughly 190 at the top.
Just above it, the margins are narrow. Nepal has the seventh weakest passport, with access to 34 destinations.[6] Bangladesh and North Korea share the next position, with 35 destinations each.[6]
