Pakistani passport declines in latest rankings, now at 103rd position

The Pakistani passport slipped several places in the latest passport rankings announced on Tuesday.

The passport now ranks 103^rd, tied with Yemen, with visa-free access to 31 countries, according to the Henley Passport Index.

This is a sharp decline from the 96^th rank the passport held earlier, when it allowed visa-free access to 32 countries.

Only Iraq (104 rank, 29 destinations), Syria (105 rank, 26 destinations) and Afghanistan (106 rank, 24 destinations) rank below Pakistan.

Strongest passports

Three Asian countries -- Singapore, South Korea, and Japan -- now dominates the rankings. Singapore leads with visa-free access to 193 destinations, followed closely by South Korea (190) and Japan (189). Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland rank fourth, with visa-free access to 188 destinations. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland and the Netherlands rank fifth with 187 destinations accessible visa-free.

US passport at historic low

For the first time since the Henley Passport Index was created 20 years ago, the US has fallen out of the world’s top 10 most powerful passports. Once unrivalled at No.1 in 2014, the American passport has plummeted to the 12th place, tied with Malaysia, with visa-free access to only 180 of 227 destinations worldwide. Similarly, the UK passport has slipped to its lowest-ever position on the index, dropping from 6th to 8th since July, despite also once holding the top spot in 2015.

“The decline of the US passport and its most recent drop from 10^th to 12^th position on the index has been driven by a series of access changes. The 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, marked the start of its downward slide. This was followed by adjustments from Papua New Guinea and Myanmar, which further eroded the US score while boosting other passports. Most recently, Somalia’s launch of a new eVisa system and Vietnam’s decision to exclude the US from its latest visa-free additions delivered the final blow, pushing it out of the top 10,” Henley & Partners said.

Why visa reciprocity matters

While American passport holders can currently access 180 destinations visa-free, the US itself allows only 46 other nationalities to enter without a visa.

“This 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. Interestingly, all five nations with the biggest gaps between the travel freedom they enjoy and the openness they offer have either stagnated or declined in their passport power ranking over the past decade,” the report said.

“Even before a second Trump presidency, US policy had turned inward. That isolationist mindset is now being reflected in America’s loss of passport power,” said Annie Pforzheimer, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

This more insular stance has hit developing nations particularly hard. President Trump has suspended visa issuance to travelers from 12 nations across Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, imposed heavy restrictions on an additional seven, and threatened bans on up to 36 more, the majority of them in Africa. A visa bond of $5,000 to $15,000 now applies to seven African nations, refundable only upon departure. Plans are also underway to introduce a blanket $250 ‘visa integrity fee’ for most non-immigrant visa applications, while the cost of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) nearly doubled on September 30, 2025, from $21 to $40.

China surges

China has been among the biggest climbers on the index over the past decade, leaping from 94^th place in 2015 to 64^th in 2025, with its visa-free access score increasing by 37 destinations during that time.

China has granted visa-free access to an additional 30 countries in the past year alone.

“Recent developments, including granting visa free access to Russia, underscore Beijing’s ongoing strategy of increased openness. China’s moves — alongside new agreements with the Gulf states, South America, and several European countries — are cementing its role as a global mobility powerhouse, bolstering the Asia-Pacific region’s dominance in travel freedom,” the report said.