MALAYSIA SHARES 12TH SPOT WITH US AS AMERICAN PASSPORT EXITS TOP 10

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has tied with the United States (US) at 12th place on the Henley Passport Index 2025, with both countries offering visa-free access to 180 destinations out of 227 worldwide.

Leading the index is Singapore (193 destinations), followed by South Korea (190) and Japan (189), reflecting the Asia-Pacific region’s growing dominance in global mobility.

Based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), this marks the first time the US has fallen out of the Top 10 since the index was established 20 years ago. The US dropped from 10th to 12th position, primarily due to a series of access restrictions imposed by other countries.

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The slide began with the loss of visa-free access to Brazil in April due to reciprocity issues. This was followed by the US being excluded from China’s expanding visa-free list and further changes by Papua New Guinea and Myanmar, which negatively impacted the US ranking.

Most recently, Somalia’s launch of an eVisa system and Vietnam’s decision to exclude the US from its latest visa-free additions pushed the American passport out of the Top 10, according to a statement.

Henley & Partners Chairman, Dr Christian H. Kaelin said the weakening of the US passport reflects a shift in global mobility and soft power. Countries pursuing greater openness and reciprocity are gaining influence.

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Similarly, the United Kingdom passport has fallen to its lowest position ever, slipping two positions from sixth to eighth, despite having once held the top spot in 2015.

While the US passport still provides access to 180 countries, the country itself only grants visa-free entry to 46 nationalities, ranking it 77th on the Henley Openness Index. In comparison, China has significantly improved both its access and openness rankings, granting visa-free access to 76 countries and climbing from 94th to 64th over the last decade.

This shift reflects China’s expanding mobility strategy, underpinned by bilateral agreements with Russia, Gulf states, South America, and parts of Europe. In 2024 alone, China introduced 30 new visa waivers, reinforcing its push for greater regional and global connectivity through strategic diplomacy and economic engagement.

The declining power of the US passport is also driving a notable uptick in alternative citizenship demand. Henley & Partners reports that US nationals now represent the largest cohort of applicants for investment migration programmes globally. As of the third quarter of 2025, applications from Americans have surged by 67 per cent year-on-year.

-- BERNAMA