Posted on 05/09/2026 8:32:49 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
ANYONE WHO has stood in a long queue at border control, or bypassed one, knows that not all passports are created equal. Citizens of some countries can speed through the gates; citizens of others must submit to interrogation and delay. Henley & Partners, a consultancy that helps rich people acquire citizenship in attractive countries, ranks passports by the number of countries their holders can enter without a visa. Its latest assessment of passport power shows that America is sliding down the table.
Our map below shows how countries compare this year.
Asian countries dominate the top of the table. Singapore leads for a fourth consecutive year, with visa-free access to 193 of 227 destinations. South Korea (190) and Japan (189) follow. Seven members of the European Union share fifth place, with access to 187 countries. At the bottom, people from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq can travel visa-free to only 24, 26 and 29 places, respectively.
America, which topped the index in 2014, has dropped out of the top ten for the first time since the ranking began in 2006. It now shares 12th place with Malaysia; citizens of both countries can travel visa-free to 180 destinations. Britain, which held the top spot in 2015, has fallen to eighth. These declines are largely due to reciprocity: when rich countries tighten their travel rules they constrain the mobility of their own citizens because others respond in kind.
America, with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan, are the rich countries that offer visa-free access to the fewest passports. Perhaps for that reason, the passport power of all five has stagnated or fallen over the past decade (though leaving them in relatively strong positions). China’s, by contrast, has risen sharply, climbing from 94th place in 2015 to 64th this year. China now allows visa-free access to people from 30 more countries than does America, although some of these are countries that Western governments shun, such as Russia.
Despite the diminishing power of their passports, Americans can still travel pretty freely. Even so, they are increasingly eager to acquire other passports, sometimes through “golden-visa” or “golden passport” schemes that grant residency or citizenship in exchange for a hefty investment. Henley says Americans now make up the bulk of their clients, more than the next four nationalities—Turkish, Indian, Chinese and British—combined.
By the end of September applications from Americans were already 67% higher than the total for 2024, which was itself 60% higher than the year before. European and Caribbean passports are at the top of Americans’ citizenship-shopping list, and there is growing interest in New Zealand. An extra passport has become a luxury good for the footloose and wealthy.
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Long ago: “You can’t do this to me. I am an American citizen.”
Now a laugh line.
It’s like magic, I tell ya.
Having travelled all over the world I confidently say American international airports are the worst in the world. One exception was Portland where they have so few international arrivals I was off my plane and out of customs / immigration in 5 minutes. The best was Tegel Berlin. They send the officers to the gate rather than making everyone force marched through miles of terminals and lines while lazy fatsos have airport staff shuttle them around on wheel chairs to skip the lines.
Based on my travels the list of countries where I could obtain a visa stamp on landing doesn’t seem much different than in the early 80’s. What’s changed are the now exorbitant fees governments charge visitors for the privilege of entry.
They're an embarrassment, especially Dulles, airport for the nation's capital. Decrepit compared with the ultra-modern airports in Asia. Dirty and a pain to navigate compared with Europe. You have to go to absolute $%&*hole countries to find worse.
Which countries protect their citizens more than the United States ?
Yes. US airports are horrible, Manila got me through customs in 20 minutes. Even s holes like Eritrea managed imports better than US airports.
Newark is the worst
You mean specifically the immigration/passport controls?
Yes, Newark, Dulles, JFK etc hall state it would take an hour or more.
Charles de gaulle is also bad, heathriw slightly better. Singapore is incredible.
And then the fact that if you are travelling further within the USA, the airline doesn’t transfer your luggage
Israel does. It has far more thorough screening but also far more effective and quicker
Agree.
There are many factors to ranking “the most powerful”
I’m staying in the land that I love. No worries.
So did countries relax standards on Singapore, South Korea, Japan, etc., or did they increase them on the USA?
I would disagree with that.
We had tight connection in Dulles, our plane was late. I was planning which flight we will be rescheduled to, and miraculously, we pass through very quickly!
The international airports are messy everywhere, especially when there are many flights arriving simultaneously.
Heathrow is by far the worst airport in the world.
Philadelphia was a crap hole of an airport last time I flew into it internationally. Charlotte wasn’t too bad. I haven’t flown through Atlanta since they built the international terminal DFW has gotten better, but you have to walk for miles and stand in huge lines.
Part of the reason for the stall is to give them time to go through your luggage. It’s rare that you don’t just pick it up and walk out these days.
The worst international airport I’ve bee through was Warsaw when it was still communist. Russia wasn’t bad to get in, a little bit of hassle leaving. Germany has always been easy on entry, big hassles for leaving. I usually get a trip to the little room when leaving; probably because I post here.
But The Economist is as Marxist as it ever was.
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