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Henley Passport Index

The Italian passport is worth its weight in gold: it will be among the most powerful in the world in 2025

In the new Henley Passport Index, Italy is confirmed at the top globally for freedom of movement. But the ranking also reveals deep inequalities in access to the world

by Angelica Migliorisi

2' min read

Key points

2' min read

In 2025, being an Italian citizen means being able to travel freely to almost every corner of the planet: our passport, in fact, allows visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 189 countries out of 227. A result that puts us in third place overall - tied with Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Finland and Denmark - in the new Henley Passport Index, the world's most authoritative ranking on the 'power' of passports.

What the Henley Passport Index is and how it works

The Henley Passport Index is a ranking drawn up by the international consultancy Henley & Partners. It is based on a very simple and concrete fact: how many countries in the world allow a citizen access without a visa, or with a visa obtainable on arrival.

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For 2025, the index analysed 199 national passports and the accessibility of 227 global destinations, constantly updating the data based on official International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations.

Each passport is given a score - called a visa-free score - that equals the number of destinations that document allows you to reach without having to apply for a traditional visa in advance.

For example, the Italian passport has a score of 189. Translated, its holders can travel to 189 countries without the need for a prior visa. The Afghan passport, in last place, only allows direct access to 25 countries.

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It is not an index measuring the 'prestige' or wealth of a country, but the trust that other states place in its citizens. Thus, indirectly, also its position in diplomatic and international cooperation networks.

The Podium 2025

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At the top of the ranking we find:

  • Singapore: 193 accessible destinations;
  • Japan and South Korea: 190;
  • Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Finland, Denmark: 189;

Italy, therefore, is firmly among the top nations in the world for freedom of movement, thanks to its political stability, diplomatic reputation, low perception of migration risk by other governments and participation in many multilateral organisations.

It is worth noting that not all European countries are on the podium: the UK and Switzerland, for example, are just below with 187 destinations. Australia is at 185,the United States - which until 2014 topped the list - is now only ninth, with 182 destinations.

Bottom of the league

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At the other end of the spectrum, we find the nations most adversely affected by conflict, political isolation or internal instability. The world's ten weakest passports include:

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  • Afghanistan: 25 countries;
  • Syria: 27;
  • Iraq: 30;
  • Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia: 32;
  • Libya, Nepal: 38;

In practice, those born in these states need a prior visa for almost every trip outside the borders. That means more bureaucracy, high costs, long waits and often even discrimination or rejection. In many cases, even when the conditions to travel would be there - for study, treatment, work - the passport is actually an obstacle. Thus, in an increasingly economically interconnected but politically divided world, even the right to cross borders is highly unequally distributed.

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