South Korea’s passport strength has once again ranked among the world’s elite in 2026. With visa-free access to 188 countries and territories, the Korean passport ties with Japan for 2nd place globally, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. CNN reported that, per the recently released Henley Passport Index by Henley & Partners, South Korea allows visa-free entry to 188 destinations, sharing the No. 2 spot with Japan.

Out of 227 total possible destinations worldwide, South Korea has maintained a top-5 ranking since first entering the top tier in 2014 and has held 2nd place consistently since 2021. The 38 countries where Korean passport holders still require a visa include Algeria, Benin, and Iraq. Singapore claims the No. 1 position with visa-free access to 192 destinations—just 35 places still require a visa. In 3rd place are Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland (all with 186 destinations), while France, Germany, Italy, and seven other European countries share 4th place (185 destinations).

Meanwhile, the United States—once considered among the strongest passports—continued its decline. U.S. passport holders now enjoy visa-free access to only 179 destinations, placing the country 10th. CNN noted that the U.S. lost visa-free privileges in seven countries over the past year, including Brazil and Honduras, marking one of the steepest drops alongside the United Kingdom.

The UK also fell to 7th due to reduced visa-free access amid anti-immigration policies.China’s passport ranked 59th with visa-free entry to 81 destinations—a remarkable 35-position climb since hitting 94th in 2015. North Korea ranked 94th with visa-free access to 38 places, while Afghanistan remained at the bottom with only 24 destinations. Over the past 20 years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has seen the most dramatic improvement in passport power. Now ranked 5th, the UAE added 149 visa-free destinations since 2006, climbing 57 places in the rankings.

Separately, South Korea topped the Henley Passport Power Index (HPP), a complementary metric that measures not just the number of visa-free destinations but the combined GDP of those accessible countries as a percentage of global GDP. This index evaluates economic and industrial opportunity access beyond mere travel convenience. South Korea scored 98.13% on the HPP—surpassing Japan (96.18%)—while the United States ranked 27th with 72.37%.Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the creator of the Henley Passport Index, told CNN:
“Over the past 20 years, global mobility has expanded dramatically, but the benefits have become increasingly concentrated in economically powerful and politically stable countries.

A passport’s strength is ultimately a reflection of a nation’s level of trust and credibility on the world stage.”The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access visa-free or with visa-on-arrival, using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).