LONDON, Oct 14 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For the first time since the Henley Passport Index was created 20 years ago, the United States is no longer ranked amongst the world’s Top 10 most powerful passports. Once unrivalled at No.1 in 2014, the American passport has now slumped to 12th place, tied with Malaysia, with visa-free access to only 180 of 227 destinations worldwide. The Asian trifecta of Singapore (access to 193 destinations visa-free), South Korea (190 destinations), and Japan (189) now occupy the top three spots on the index, powered by exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The decline of the US passport and its most recent drop from 10th to 12th position on the index has been driven by a series of access changes. The loss of visa-free access to Brazil in April due to a lack of reciprocity, and the US being left out of China’s rapidly expanding visa-free list, marked the start of its downward slide. This was followed by adjustments from Papua New Guinea and Myanmar, which further eroded the US score while boosting other passports. Most recently, Somalia’s launch of a new eVisa system and Vietnam’s decision to exclude the US from its latest visa-free additions delivered the final blow, pushing it out of the Top 10.