Australia’s passport has ranked sixth in the world for most powerful passport despite being the most expensive.
Singapore claimed top spot as the world’s most powerful passport for 2025 in the Henley Passport Index’s quarterly report.
The index, created by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, analysed data from the International Air Transport Association.
Updated monthly, the index ranks 199 different passports and determines the global freedoms of 227 countries and territories around the world.
Holders of Singapore’s red travel document enjoy visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations making it the most desirable passport in the world.
With access to more places than any other passport in the world, the Singapore passport remains relatively cheap, costing holders a mere $87.
Japan’s $162 passport ranked second, with access to 193 destinations after neighbouring China opened up its borders for the first time since Covid-19 lockdowns.
Close behind were France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland and South Korea all tied for third spot with visa-free access to 192 destinations.
Despite being the most expensive passport in the world, Australia tied at sixth with Greece, providing visa-free access to 189 destinations
Fourth spot is held by seven countries including Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
The countries are part of the European Union’s border-free Schengen area, which provides 425 million EU citizens access to 191 destinations with no prior visa needed.
New Zealand came in at fifth place, along with Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom – with visa-free access to 190 destinations.
Australia tied with Greece for sixth position, with visa-free access to 189 places.
On 1 January, the cost of the Australian passport increased from $398 to $412, making it the most expensive passport in the world.
In contrast, the cost of a passport for Australia’s sixth place counterpart Greece comes in at less than half at €84.40 (or about AUD $140.50).
Australians who hold the $412 passport can travel without a visa to countries including Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, China, New Zealand, Samoa and Fiji.
In Europe, the passport allows visa-free access to countries including the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Switzerland and the UK.
In Africa, the list includes countries such as Botswana, The Gambia, Mauritius, South Africa and Tunisia.
While in the Americas, Aussie passport holders can visit Barbados, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the US with no prior visa required.
Ranking in at seventh with access to 188 destinations was Malta, Poland and Canada, while Czechia and Hungary came in at eighth place, with 187.
Rounding out the top 10 were the United States and Estonia in ninth and Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates in 10th.
The United Arab Emirates had the index’s biggest increase in global mobility after securing access to an additional 72 destinations since 2015.
The increased allowed the UAE to climb 32 places to 10th, with visa-free access to 185 destinations.
China also recorded a massive increase jumping 34 places from 94th in 2015 to 60th in 2025.
The Henley Passport Index ranked 199 different passports and determined the global freedoms of 227 countries and territories around the world
Syria comes in at 105 with access to just 27 places, while Iraq ranked 104 with only 31 destinations.
Afghanistan remains entrenched at the bottom of the index, with a visa-free access score of just 26 (down from 28 last year), creating 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.
Christian Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, said: ‘The very notion of citizenship and its birthright lottery needs a fundamental rethink as temperatures rise, natural disasters become more frequent and severe, displacing communities and rendering their environments uninhabitable.
‘Simultaneously, political instability and armed conflicts in various regions force countless people to flee their homes in search of safety and refuge.’
