U.S. Passport Drops to 12th in Global Ranking

The United States has fallen to 12th place in the latest Henley Passport Index, marking the first time it has ranked outside the top 10 since the global travel ranking was introduced 20 years ago, Yahoo News reported.

The U.S. passport has slipped to its lowest-ever position in the Henley Passport Index.

The U.S. passport, which topped the rankings in 2014, is now tied with Malaysia, providing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 180 of 227 destinations.

According to the index, Singapore ranks first with access to 193 destinations, followed by South Korea with 190 and Japan with 189. The Henley Passport Index uses exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to compare global travel access.

At the beginning of 2026, the United States ranked ninth. The index noted that the passport had already fallen seven places between 2015 and 2025, dropping from second to ninth before slipping further to 12th.