The Israeli passport has risen one spot in the latest Henley Passport Index and is now ranked 18th globally. According to Henley & Partners, an international firm specializing in residence and citizenship by investment, Israelis can travel to 168 destinations without a visa — down slightly from 170 in January, but still enough to improve Israel’s overall standing.
The ranking boost comes despite growing international pressure on Israel, including condemnation over its actions in Gaza, boycott threats, and calls for sanctions against West Bank settlers. While Israel recently lost visa-free access to the Maldives and Mauritania — the former due to a political ban and the latter due to a shift to an eVisa system — its passport status remains relatively strong and resilient on the global stage.
The drop in the number of accessible countries stems from recent geopolitical shifts. The Maldives has banned entry to Israeli passport holders in response to the war in Gaza, while Mauritania has shifted to an eVisa system and now requires Israelis to apply for a visa in advance. Still, Israel moved up in the global ranking due to reshuffling among other countries.
“The passport has become more than just a travel document — it reflects diplomatic strength and international ties,” said Daniel Shemuelian, head of the Israeli office of Henley & Partners. “In an era of growing inequality and geopolitical uncertainty, strategic mobility and citizenship planning are more essential than ever.”
At the top of the global passport index is Singapore, offering visa-free access to 193 out of 227 destinations. Japan and South Korea share second place with access to 190 destinations. In third place are seven European countries — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain — each with access to 189 countries without a visa.
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At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan, whose citizens can enter just 25 countries without a visa — a 168-country gap compared to Singapore.
The United Kingdom and the United States, once home to the world’s most powerful passports, continue to decline. The UK is now ranked sixth with access to 186 destinations, while the U.S. has dropped to 10th place with 182 destinations — and is on the verge of falling out of the top ten for the first time in the 20-year history of the index.
Dramatic rise for the UAE
India recorded the largest jump in rankings over the past six months, rising eight spots from 85th to 77th despite gaining access to only two additional countries. Saudi Arabia added four new destinations since January and now stands at 91 visa-free countries, climbing to 54th place.
The United Arab Emirates shows the most dramatic long-term improvement: leaping from 42nd place to 8th over the past decade — a rise of 34 places, making it the only country to break into the top ten in that time frame. China also rose 34 places, from 94th to 60th, since 2015.
A long-term look at the index reveals a broader trend of increased global mobility: the average number of visa-free destinations has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025. Still, 16 countries have seen their rankings drop over the past decade, including Venezuela (down 15 spots), the U.S. (8), the UK (5), and Canada (4).
Dr. Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners, noted that this trend is shifting the landscape of investment migration. “Americans now lead demand for alternative citizenship or residency, with Britons also among the top five nationalities,” he said. “As the U.S. and UK turn inward, we’re seeing a sharp increase in demand from their citizens for greater global access and security.”