Name: U.S. Passport Returns To 10 Most Powerful—Despite Drop In Visa-Free Access
Uploaded: 2026-01-15T21:01:10.000Z
Duration: 2 min 41 s
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The United States passport has returned to the top 10 ranking of the world's most powerful,

despite Americans losing visa-free access to seven different destinations over the last year, according to the Henley Passport Index,

The US has suffered the third-largest ranking decline of any country over the past two decades, after Venezuela and Vanuatu.

Today, Americans enjoy visa free access to 179 countries or territories and seven less than last year.

The number 10 ranking marks a rise for the US which fell to number 12 in October of last year.

But the United States has overall fallen steeply from the first place position it held in tandem with the United Kingdom in 2014.

The index ranks passports by visa free access, leading to tied ranks.

Ten European countries are tied for number four for instance.

The US now ranks below 37 other countries, including Japan, South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom and the entire EU, which uses a common passport format.

Since 2023, Singapore has maintained the number one position in the ranking with its passport granting holders visa free access to 192 destinations.

A statement from the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna said,

"Passport power ultimately reflects political stability, diplomatic credibility and the ability to shape international rules...

As transatlantic relations strain and domestic politics grow more volatile,

the erosion of mobility rights for countries like the US and UK is less a technical anomaly than a sign of deeper geopolitical recalibration."

While the US has restricted its own passport access, it also restricts access to others, granting visa-free entry to only 46 passports.

This is the world's largest gap between outbound travel and inbound openness.

Tim Claddy of Chinese accounting firm Grant Thornton China,

called the US restrictions a "retreat into nationalism," noting that China has done the opposite recently, adding over 40 countries for a total of 77 visa-free nations.

Claddy suggested this openness will aid China in a global power shift.

For more on this story, check out the article at the link in the description.