The fifth annual edition of the Global Passport Index (GPI) is out now – and Europe has once again dominated the ranking.
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Nine of the 10 strongest passports globally are European, with Singapore the only country to break into the top spots in 10th place, according to Global Citizen Solutions’ Global Passport Index.
Unlike the Henley Passport Index, which exclusively looks at the number of countries passport holders can travel to without a visa, the GPI also assesses investment attractiveness and quality of life.
To do so, Global Citizen Solutions (GCS) looked at factors including tax environment, innovation, economic competitiveness, healthcare, safety, climate and social infrastructure.
“Europe’s dominance of the Global Passport Index is total at the top, and it is built on balance, not on any single strength,” Patricia Casaburi, CEO at Global Citizen Solutions, said.
“The nine most powerful passports in the world in 2026 are all European, led by Sweden, Switzerland and Finland. What is striking is how they win.
“On pure travel freedom Singapore beats every one of them, and on raw investment pull several Gulf and Asian states rival them.
“Europe’s edge lies elsewhere: it is the only region that pairs near-maximum global access with the world’s highest quality of life, the one dimension no government can create through treaties or tax incentives.”
The best passports in the world
Sweden leads the ranking, coming in 11th on the mobility index, ninth in investment, and second in quality of life.
Up next is Switzerland, which is seventh on mobility, second in investment, and 36th on quality of life.
Third place went to Finland, which is fourth for mobility, 28th for investment, but first for quality of life.
Germany claimed fourth place, thanks to its positions of 15th in mobility, 20th in investment and third in quality of life.
Rounding out the top five is The Netherlands and Denmark, which came joint fifth.
Other countries in the top 10 include Ireland, the UK, Norway and Singapore.
On the UK, GCS noted the impact of Brexit on visa-free travel.
“The United Kingdom passport held firm in the global top ten throughout the period, ranked 8th overall in 2026, anchored by a quality-of-life score that sits among the world’s very best,” Casaburi said.
“Yet for a passport of such standing, its mobility rank is conspicuously modest, around 30th, well adrift of the elite tier it otherwise occupies. That gap is the quiet signature of Brexit.
“The index measures visa-free travel, where the British passport remains strong, but it cannot capture what was actually lost: the automatic right of UK citizens to live, work and settle across twenty-seven European states.”
GCS also noted that the US has had the steepest five-year decline of any G7 country. Having ranked first in 2021, with the highest composite score in the GPI’s history (96.45), it fell to 14th in 2025, before recovering to 12th this year.
The change is due to a sequence of bilateral re-impositions, including Brazil, which reinstated visa requirements for American citizens last April.
2026 Global Passport Index: The top 10
- 1 Sweden
- 2 Switzerland
- 3 Finland
- 4 Germany
- 5= The Netherlands
- 5= Denmark
- 7 Ireland
- 8 United Kingdom
- 9 Norway
- 10 Singapore
