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 88^th 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 71^st 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

1. Singapore 193 (visa-free destinations)
2. Japan, South Korea 190
3. Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain 189
4. Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden 188
5. Greece, New Zealand, Switzerland 187
6. United Kingdom 186
7. Australia, Czechia, Hungary, Malta, Poland 185
8. Canada, Estonia, UAE 184
9. Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia 183
10. Iceland, Lithuania, United States 182
11. Liechtenstein, Malaysia 181
12. Cyprus 178
13. Bulgaria, Monaco, Romania 177
14. Chile 176
15. Andorra 171
16. Argentina, Brazil, San Marino 170
17. Hong Kong 169
18. Israel 168
19. Brunei 164
20. Barbados 163
21. Bahamas 159
22. Mexico 158
23. Uruguay 157
24. Seychelles, St Vincent and the Grenadines 156
25. Kitts and Nevis, Vatican City 154
26. Antigua and Barbuda 152
27. Costa Rica, Mauritius 149
28. Panama, Trinidad and Tobago 148
29. Grenada, Ukraine 147
30. Paraguay, St. Lucia 146
31. Macao 144
32. Dominica, Peru 143
33. Taiwan 139
34. Serbia 138
35. El Salvador 135
36. Guatemala, Solomon Islands 134
37. Colombia, Honduras 132
38. North Macedonia 130
39. Samoa, Tonga 129
40. Marshall Islands, Montenegro 128
41. Nicaragua, Tuvula 127
42. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau Islands 123
43. Albania 122
44. Moldova 121
45. Venezuela 119
46. Russian Federation, Türkiye 114
47. Qatar 112
48. South Africa 103
49. Belize 102
50. Kuwait 100
51. Timor-Leste 96
52. Ecuador 94
53. Maldives 93
54. Guyana, Saudi Arabia, Vanuatu 91
55. Bahrain, Fiji 90
56. Jamaica, Oman 88
57. Nauru 87
58. Papua New Guinea 86
59. Botswana 85
60. China 83
61. Kosovo 82
62. Belarus, Thailand 81
63. Kazakhstan, Namibia 79
64. Bolivia, Suriname 78
65. Lesotho 76
66. eSwatini, Indonesia 74
67. Dominican Republic, Malawi, Morocco 73
68. Azerbaijan 72
69. Kenya, The Gambia 71
70. Tanzania 70
71. Armenia, Benin, Cape Verde Islands, Ghana, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia 67
72. Mongolia, Philippines, Sierra Leone 65
73. Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, Zimbabwe 63
74. Mozambique, Uzbekistan 62
75. Sao Tome and Principe 61
76. Cuba, Togo 60
77. Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, India, Senegal 59
78. Gabon, Madagascar 58
79. Guinea, Mauritania, Niger 57
80. Equatorial Guinea, Tajikistan, 56
81. Algeria, Mali 55
82. Guinea-Bissau 54
83. Cambodia, Chad, Comoro Islands, Haiti 52
84. Bhutan, Central African Republic, Jordan, Liberia, Vietnam 51
85. Cameroon, Egypt, Turkmenistan 49
86. Angola, Burundi, Congo, Laos 48
87. Djibouti 47
88. Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria 45
89. Lebanon 44
90. Congo (Democratic Republic), South Sudan 43
91. Iran, Sri Lanka 42
92. Sudan 41
93. North Korea 40
94. Bangladesh, Eritrea, Palestinian Territory 39
95. Libya, Nepal 38
96. Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen 32
97. Iraq 30
98. Syria 27
99. Afghanistan 25

Additional report by Mail Online