US passport, once most powerful in the world, plummets in global ranking - The Hill

What the report says

The Hill reported that the U.S. passport has fallen to 10th place in the 2026 Henley Passport Index, a ranking compiled by residence and citizenship planning firm Henley & Partners. The index places Singapore first, with visa-free access to 192 jurisdictions, while the United States has access to 180 and shares its position with Iceland.

According to The Hill, the decline is notable because the U.S. passport was ranked the world’s most powerful 20 years ago. The report also said the United States stood in fourth place a decade ago, behind Germany, Sweden and Finland. Passport indexes such as Henley’s generally assess the number of destinations a passport holder can enter without obtaining a visa in advance, rather than measuring broader diplomatic influence or quality of citizenship services.

The Hill framed the drop against a wider backdrop of strained U.S. relations abroad over the past two decades, citing wars, trade disputes under President Trump, tensions with traditional allies and increased friction with China. The article did not establish a direct cause-and-effect link between those developments and the ranking shift, but presented them as relevant context for the country’s changing global mobility standing.

The report also noted that Trump recently shared an image of a limited-edition “Patriot Passport” connected to the United States’ 250th birthday, featuring his likeness and imagery tied to the Declaration of Independence. The ranking matters because visa-free access can affect travel convenience for citizens and is often used as a shorthand indicator of a country’s international mobility.