New data released today by The Passport Index by Arton Capital reveals that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has further strengthened its position in holding the world’s strongest passport, climbing to a total score of 182 – the highest score ever recorded in the history of the Passport Index.
The UAE has held the top position since 2018. These latest figures underline the UAE’s growing diplomatic and economic influence, with Emirati citizens now enjoying unprecedented access to international markets, business centers, and tourism destinations around the world.
At a time when many countries are experiencing stagnation or decline in visa-free access, the UAE has continued to pursue a highly effective mobility strategy through sustained international engagement and bilateral agreements.
Since the launch of the UAE Passport Force Initiative by the nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2017, the Passport Index has partnered closely with authorities to monitor progress, support international engagement, and document what has become one of the most significant rises in modern passport history – from 88th place globally to the world’s strongest passport in less than a decade.
Singapore retains its 2nd place position in the Passport Index’s individual passport rankings, maintaining a score of 175. However, Malaysia is the only other Asian passport that has managed to remain in the top tier of individual passports, retaining 17th place.
Despite Asia contributing nearly half of global GDP growth in 2026, the same global power is not reflected in the individual passport rankings, with South Korea and Japan simultaneously dropping 4 places. This saw South Korea exiting the top 20 for 2026, giving way to European passport power.
European passports are back on top and maintain a dominant hold over most of the top 20 individual passport rankings. Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Demark remain amongst the world’s strongest passports. Notably, Luxembourg climbed from 10th to 5th place, with a score of 174, as it seeks to become a European tech hub for AI, knocking Finland from its top 10 spot in 2025.
The World Openness Score – the Passport Index’s real-time measure of global accessibility – fell once again in 2026. Hitting its lowest score since 2023 as border systems undergo digitalization and high-skilled and nationality-specific vias restrictions continue to be tightened.
Compared to 2025, which saw 24 countries increase their global mobility scores, only 11 countries managed to grow their mobility scores in 2026.
The Passport Index’s Welcoming Countries rank sees Australia, United States, Canda, and New Zealand slide down the ranks as visa restrictions tighten, border systems change, and passport bans expand. By contrast, the United Kingdom jumps up two places in the Welcoming Countries rank, despite mandatory ETAs being activated.
There is a noticeable trend in European countries dropping down the list of the Welcoming Countries rank, in line with the 30 European countries now using ETIAs. This saw 34 countries move from a welcoming rank of 55 to 56, as well coinciding with some passports, such as Armenia, hitting low scores of 80 for individual passport power.
Armand Arton, CEO of Arton Capital and co-founder of the Passport Index, commented: “This is a standout year for The Passport Index, with record highs achieved by the UAE. Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, the UAE remains unshakeable in its relevance on the global stage. Bar notable exceptions, like Singapore, it remains an outlier in continuing to expand access for its passport holders.
“We anticipate that 2027 will generate ever greater disparities in individual passport power due to the potential for further global unrest, coupled with tightening restrictions and lower world openness. As global movement and accessibility become a necessity rather than a luxury, a powerful passport will increasingly become a critical dividing line between the haves and have-nots.”
