Muscat – Oman has jumped four places to 56th in the Henley Passport Index in first half of 2025, which is based on official data from International Air Transport Association (IATA). Oman was ranked 60th in the 2024 rankings when its citizens could travel visa-free to 86 countries. This has now gone up to 88 destinations.

The index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

The UAE continues to be a standout among the top risers, shooting up 34 places over the last ten years from 42nd to eighth, making it the only big riser to break into the Top 10 in the ranking. Another notable winner is China, also rising 34 places from 94th to 60th since 2015 –  particularly impressive considering that, unlike other top risers, China has not yet gained visa-free access to Europe’s Schengen Area.

Notable additions to China’s visa-free list in 2025 include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia – which means that citizens of all Gulf Cooperation Council countries can travel to China with no prior visa — as well as several South American nations including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. China’s granting of visa-free access to several European states over the past two years has also contributed to the dominance of European passports at the top of the Henley Passport Power Index.

In the GCC, the UAE with visa-free travel to 184 countries is followed by Qatar – ranked 47th with visa-free travel to 112 countries – Kuwait (50th and 100), Saudi Arabia (54th and 91) and Bahrain (55th and 90).

The UK and US have each dropped a place in the global passport rankings since January, continuing a long-term downward trend. Once the most powerful passports in the world – the UK in 2015 and the US in 2014 – they now rank sixth and tenth, respectively. The UK currently has visa-free access to 186 destinations, while the US trails with 182. Notably, the US is now on the brink of exiting the Top 10 altogether for the first time in the index’s 20-year history.

India has recorded the biggest jump in ranking over the past six months, climbing eight places from 85th to 77th, despite only adding two destinations to its visa-free tally, now at 59. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has made the biggest gain in visa-free access, adding four destinations since January.

Singapore holds the crown as the world’s most powerful passport, with visa-free access to 193 destinations out of 227 globally. Asian nations continue to lead the global mobility race, with Japan and South Korea sharing second place, each granting their citizens access to 190 destinations visa-free.

A strong European contingent occupies the rest of the Top 5. Seven EU passports share third place – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain, all with access to 189 destinations. Another seven-nation European cohort, with visa-free entry to 188 destinations, are joint fourth – Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden –  while New Zealand, the only nation to challenge the regional dominance, ties in fifth place with Greece and Switzerland.

At the other end of the global mobility spectrum, Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the ranking, with its citizens able to access just 25 destinations without a prior visa – a staggering mobility gap of 168 destinations between the top- and bottom-ranked passports.