Looking at the 2025 edition of the Henley Passport Index report, business travellers may be less focused than usual on the top three. Singapore, South Korea and Japan - whose Asian hegemony is no longer surprising. Or the position of France, which has remained stable in fifth place overall. Instead, it is the trajectory of two giants of business travel that is of particular interest this year. Starting with the United States. The authors of the report point out that "for the first time since the Henley Passport Index was created 20 years ago, the United States is no longer among the 10 most powerful passports in the world". And the same authors point out that: " Once unrivalled at the top spot in 2014, the US passport has now dropped to 12th place, tied with Malaysia, with visa-free access to just 180 of the world's 227 destinations ".
Dr Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the Henley Index, analyses this development. For him, " The declining strength of the US passport over the past decade is more than a mere reshuffling of the rankings - it signals a fundamental shift in the dynamics of global mobility and soft power. Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are advancing rapidly, while those that rest on their past privileges are being left behind. ".
The Henley Passport Index report recalls some of the key events that precipitated the fall of the US passport. These include the loss of visa-free access to Brazil last April for lack of reciprocity, and the exclusion of the USA from China's visa-free list.
The Chinese giant, in fact, is experiencing a much more favourable trajectory than its American rival - and than the United Kingdom, which is also experiencing an unprecedented fall (8%).e). The authors of the report point to a "spectacular" increase over the last decade, with the addition of 37 visa-free destinations. Even so, the Middle Kingdom remains relegated to 64th place. But China was in 94th place just ten years ago, in 2015.
According to Dr Tim Klatte, Partner at Grant Thornton China, " Trump's return to power has brought new trade conflicts that weaken America's mobility, while China's strategic opening strengthens its global influence. These diverging trajectories will reshape economic and travel dynamics around the world ".
