Christian H. Kaelin reports that the United States has fallen to 10th place in the global passport power rankings.
Christian H. Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners, revealed in a 20th-anniversary report that the United States passport has lost its status as one of the world's most powerful travel documents. While the U.S. held the top spot in 2006, it now ranks 10th, with 36 countries currently outranking it. The decline is attributed in part to the U.S. not receiving visa-free access to China, a benefit enjoyed by many other developed nations. The report highlights Singapore as the world's most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 192 destinations. Other top performers include Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, which saw a significant rise of 153 new destinations since 2006. The analysis also compared passport power to the Global Peace Index, finding a strong correlation between a nation's peacefulness and its travel mobility. However, the United States and Israel remain notable outliers, maintaining high passport rankings despite being among the less peaceful nations globally.