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The world's most powerful passport revealed - and Australia has slipped in the rankings

Two major countries also showed steep declines, the Index found.

Passport. Picture from Unsplash / Henry Thong
Passport. Picture from Unsplash / Henry Thong
Carla Mascarenhas
Updated January 27, 2026, first published January 20, 2026

Australia's passport isn't as powerful as it used to be, according to a new report.

The latest Henley Passport Index shows the Australian passport has slipped from sixth to seventh place, while Singapore has once again claimed the title of the world's most powerful passport.

The index, which ranked 199 passports based on visa-free or visa-on-arrival access, showed Singapore passport holders can travel to 192 destinations without securing a visa in advance.

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Australia offers visa-free access to 182 countries, tying with the United Kingdom, the latter of which recorded the largest drop of any nation over the past year.

These are the most powerful passports in 2026

  1. Singapore (192)
  2. Japan, South Korea (188)
  3. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (186)
  4. Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway (185)
  5. Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates (184)
  6. Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, Poland (183)
  7. Australia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom (182)
  8. Canada, Iceland, Lithuania (181)
  9. Malaysia (180)
  10. United States (179)

Australia lost visa-free access to seven destinations in the 12 months to 2026, while the UK lost access to eight.

New Zealand's passport dropped from fifth place with 190 visa-free countries in 2025 to sixth place with 183 countries in 2026.

Japan and South Korea tied for second place, with access to 188 destinations, followed by Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden, which shared third place.

At the other end of the rankings, Afghanistan once again had the dubious honour of placing last.

Its citizens are able to travel to just 24 destinations without a prior visa.

Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Pakistan also ranked among the weakest passports globally.

The United States re-entered the top ten after dropping out in late 2025 - the first time that had happened since the index began.

But, it recorded the second-largest decline, losing visa-free access to seven destinations over the past year.

Carla Mascarenhas

Carla Mascarenhas is a journalist with Explore Travel and The Senior. She specialises in deep issues affecting Gen X and beyond, and the latest in travel news. Contact her on carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au