In 2006 the United States held one of the world’s strongest passports, giving Americans a freedom of movement matched only by Denmark and Finland. Twenty years on, that picture has changed. In the 2026 Henley Passport Index, the US passport has fallen from the top to 10th place.
According to Henley’s index, US citizens currently enjoy visa-free or easy travel to 180 countries. In 2006 the figure was 130.
Singapore tops the 2026 list of the world’s strongest passports, with its citizens able to travel visa-free to 192 destinations. Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates share second place, with access to 188 countries.
The United Arab Emirates has made the biggest advance over the past two decades, adding travel access to 153 new destinations compared with 2006. Sweden is third, while Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain share fourth place.
Afghanistan is at the bottom of the list. Afghan citizens had visa-free access to just 12 countries in 2006; that has now risen to 22.
The report said a strong passport generally reflects international trust, diplomatic relations, economic capacity and political stability, and that many peaceful countries also hold some of the world’s strongest passports.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report