Singapore Tops Passport Index, Bangladesh Ranks 97th

Singapore has retained its position as the world's most powerful passport, while Bangladesh has climbed three places to rank 97th in the latest global passport rankings released by London-based Henley & Partners.

The Henley Passport Index, which measures passport strength based on the number of destinations accessible without a prior visa or through visa-on-arrival arrangements, ranks 199 passports across 227 destinations.

Bangladesh now shares the 97th position with North Korea. Bangladeshi passport holders currently enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 35 destinations. Although this is down from 37 destinations a year ago, the country's overall ranking has improved compared with last year.

Bangladesh's recent rankings in the index are:

    2025: 100th
    2024: 97th
    2023: 101st
    2022: 103rd
    2021: 108th
    2020: 98th 

North Korea also improved its standing, moving up from 99th last year to share the 97th position with Bangladesh.

Singapore topped the rankings with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 192 destinations.

Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates jointly ranked second, each offering access to 188 destinations.

European countries continued to dominate the upper ranks, with Germany, France, Italy and Spain among the world's strongest passports. The United States ranked 10th, with access to 180 destinations.

Within South Asia, the Maldives remained the region's strongest performer, ranking 52nd with access to 93 destinations. India ranked 81st, while Bangladesh remained ahead of Nepal (98th) and Pakistan (101st).

Afghanistan remained at the bottom of the index, with its passport providing access to only 22 destinations, followed by Iraq and Syria.

The latest rankings highlight the continued disparity in global travel freedom. While citizens of top-ranked countries enjoy extensive visa-free access worldwide, travellers from many developing nations, including Bangladesh, continue to face significant visa restrictions despite gradual improvements in passport mobility.