Kamal Ghorui
For the first time since 2005 and in nearly two decades, the US passport has found itself ousted from the top ten most powerful passports of the world, and was ranked at 12th position by late 2025. However, in the latest rankings, it’s in 10th position.
In 2014, the US was in the first position, and provided visa-free access to more destinations than any other country, as per the press release by Henley & Passport. By 2026, that ranking fell to 10th place, with visa-free access to 179 destinations; although still strong, but outshone by passports extending even further.
According to the experts, this sliding can be attributed to visa reciprocity, whereby the number of countries allowing US citizens entry without a visa is declining just as the US remains strict in its entry policies for foreigners, and countries around the globe are modifying visa policies that bar US citizens from entry.
This historic decline demonstrates how shifts in immigration policy and diplomatic relations can reshape global mobility power.
