Canadian passport named more powerful than U.S. in new global ranking

According to a new report, having a Canadian passport continues to be more advantageous than owning a U.S. passport.

On Wednesday, the Henley Passport Index released its ranking of the world's most (and least) powerful passports in 2025.

Based on exclusive official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the index ranks the world's 199 passports according to the number of destinations they can access without a visa.

The 2025 Henley Passport Index (@HenleyPartners), which ranks all the world’s 199 passports according to the number of destinations they can access visa-free, has been revealed. pic.twitter.com/g2QWlOFmxj

— IATA (@IATA) January 8, 2025

Unfortunately, Canada is among the top five losers this year because it was one of the 22 passports that dropped in ranking over the past decade. It fell three spots from fourth place in 2015, according to the index.

The Canadian passport is currently seventh in the world (tied with Malta and Poland). It allows access to 188 out of 227 destinations worldwide without requiring a visa, an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), or obtaining a visa on arrival.

The passport has been fluctuating between seventh and eighth place since 2021 after hitting its lowest ranking in 2020 in the ninth spot.

Some countries where Canadians still need visas include Bhutan, China, India and Vietnam.

Despite this, the Canadian passport still beat our neighbours to the south. The index says the U.S. passport was the second-biggest faller between 2015 and 2025, after Venezuela. The States plummeted seven places from second to its current ninth position. It is tied with Estonia for accessing 186 destinations worldwide without a visa.

The big winners this year are Singapore and Japan.

"Singapore reclaims its crown as the most powerful passport in the world with visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations worldwide, leaving Japan as runner-up with a score of 193," reads the ranking.

Afghanistan's passport is at the bottom of the list. Over the past year, it has lost visa-free access to two more destinations.

The index says this has created "the largest mobility gap in the index's 19-year history, with Singaporeans able to travel to 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghan passport holders."