It may be one of the world's most expensive — but Australia's passport isn't the most powerful.
According to the 2025 Henley Passport Index, which ranks the world's 199 passports according to the number of destinations they can access without a prior visa, Australia has the sixth most powerful passport in the world.
This means Aussies can access 189 destinations without obtaining a visa beforehand.
It's an improvement from 2023, when Australia was ranked eighth.
But while sixth might seem impressive, we actually clock in behind 20 other countries who have stronger passports than us.
Who has the strongest passport?
In first place was Singapore, with visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations.
Japan was a close runner-up, with a score of 193.
Singapore has taken out the top spot for the strongest passport in the world, with visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations. Source: SBS News
Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden came in fourth with 191.
In fifth place, with access to 190 countries, are Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and neighbouring New Zealand.
Australia follows closely in sixth place, tied with Greece. While we rank sixth for the number of countries we can visit visa-free, we still stand 21st overall when compared to the rest of the world.
What countries have the weakest passports?
At the bottom of the list was Afghanistan, with just 26 visa-free destinations.
In the last year, the country lost access to two more destinations, creating the largest mobility gap in the index's 19-year history, with Singaporeans able to travel to 169 more destinations than Afghan passport holders.
The other weakest five countries were Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia.
The 2025 Henley Passport Index revealed the largest mobility gap in its 19-year history, with Singaporean passport holders able to travel to 169 more destinations than those holding Afghan passports. Source: SBS News
"Simultaneously, political instability and armed conflicts in various regions force countless people to flee their homes in search of safety and refuge."
Who's had the biggest drops?
Only 22 countries have fallen in the Henley Passport Index rankings in the last decade.
The United States and the United Kingdom are among those with the biggest drops.
The US experienced the second-largest drop between 2015 and 2025, falling seven places from second to its current ninth position, following Venezuela.
Vanuatu is the third-largest dropper, followed by the British passport, which was at the top of the index in 2015 but now ranks fifth.
Rounding out the biggest drops was Canada, which dropped three ranks over the past decade from fourth to its current seventh place.
In contrast, China is among the biggest climbers, ascending from 94th place in 2015 to 60th in 2025, with its visa-free score increasing by 40 destinations.
Australia has jumped three positions since 2006, where it was placed ninth in the world.
Cost of a passport doesn't correlate with value
On 1 January, the cost of the Australian passport rose to $412, up from $398. That makes Australian passports the most expensive in the world.
Mexico, which came 23rd in the index, has the second most expensive passport at $353.90.
US passports are the third most expensive at $252.72, while New Zealand passports follow behind at $193.72.
In contrast, the Singapore passport, ranked number one in the world, costs just $82.
A Japanese passport costs about $162.
Which countries can Australians visit without a visa?
Some of the geographically closest countries Australians can travel to without needing a visa include Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, China, New Zealand, Samoa and Fiji.
In Europe, Australians can travel visa-free to countries such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Switzerland and the UK.
In Africa, the list includes countries such as Botswana, The Gambia, Mauritius, South Africa and Tunisia. In the Americas, Australians can visit places such as Barbados, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the US.
