The visa-free powers of certain passports are measures in some ways of how globalised the world is,  and by that yardstick, the US has regressed, while China has managed to rise up.

US passports are no longer in the list of the world’s 10 most powerful when mentioned by their ability to give visa-free travel – the first time this has happened in 20 years, figures show.

Once unrivaled at number one in having visa-free travel status, US passports sit in 12th place alongside those from Malaysia. US passports grant visa-free access to 180 of 227 jurisdictions, Henley & Partners, a firm advising people on relocating to jurisdictions, said. 

The Asian trifecta of Singapore (access to 193 destinations visa-free), South Korea (190 destinations), and Japan (189 destinations) now occupy the top three spots. The data is based on International Air Transport Association (IATA) figures.

Access changes have caused the decline of the US passport’s power, such as loss of visa-free access to Brazil in April due to a lack of reciprocity, and the US being left out of China’s rapidly expanding visa-free list. Adjustments from Papua New Guinea and Myanmar also dented the US score. Most recently, Somalia’s launch of a new eVisa system and Vietnam’s decision to exclude the US from its latest visa-free additions added to the downgrade, Henley & Partners said.

The rankings offer a glimpse into an aspect of globalization – the ability to travel relatively free of bureaucratic paperwork from one country to another. The retreat in the power of US passports arguably mirrors a pushback by the Trump administration against free trade.

“The declining strength of the US passport over the past decade is more than just a reshuffle in rankings – it signals a fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics. Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind,” Dr Christian H Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the Henley Passport Index, said in a statement today.

The UK has also fallen from grace to some extent, figures show.

A British passport has fallen to its lowest-ever position on the index, slipping two places since July, from sixth to eighth place, despite also once holding the top spot in 2015. 

Visa restrictions
The US itself allows only 46 other nationalities to enter without a visa. This puts it way down in 77th place on the Henley Openness Index, which ranks all 199 countries and territories worldwide according to the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa.
The disparity between visa-free access and openness is one of the widest globally – second only to Australia, and just ahead of Canada, New Zealand, and Japan. 

China’s expanding passport power
In sharp contrast, China has been among the biggest climbers on the Henley Passport Index over the past decade, leaping from 94th place in 2015 to 64th in 2025, with its visa-free access score increasing by 37 destinations during that time.

On the Henley Openness Index, China has also risen dramatically, granting visa-free access to an additional 30 countries in the past year alone. It now sits in 65th position, providing entry to 76 nations – 30 more than the US.

Henley & Partners said the US’s loss of passport power has driven an “unprecedented” surge in demand for alternative residence and citizenship options. Henley & Partners data shows that Americans have become by far the largest group of applicants for investment migration programs in 2025.

By the end of Q3, applications from US nationals were already 67 per cent higher than the total for 2024, which itself recorded a 60 per cent year-on-year increase.