The United States passport has fallen to 12th in the world, for how many countries we can access visa-free. This decline represents the biggest drop in its long streak as one of the world’s most powerful travel documents. For the first time in two decades, we’ve seen the US passport drop out of the top 10. Just one year prior, it occupied the seventh position. In the most recent rankings, the US is now ranked 12th overall, a tie with Malaysia. This news is indicative of a more troubling trend American travelers are facing—a loss of global mobility.
Today, the strength of the US passport is at a weakly 30%. Ten years back it topped the list as the most influential passport. The passport lost its position at the 9th place in July, falling to the 10th rank. Recent changes in immigration policy and other travel restrictions have moved it lower in the rankings. Under the Trump administration, stricter immigration policies and crackdowns on tourism, foreign workers, and international students have limited the access Americans have enjoyed in the past.
Countries such as China and Vietnam have recently taken the US off their expanded lists of countries allowed visa-free tourism. As if things can’t get worse. This decision goes from bad to shocking. Singapore comes in at number one, with visa-free access to 193 destinations. South Korea is a distant second with 190 destinations, and Japan a close third with 189. This change in global mobility is leading millions of Americans to rethink where they want to spend their time—and to pursue other forms of citizenship.
Peter J Spiro, a leading legal scholar, was especially concerned about the effect of these changes on American attitudes toward citizenship.
“In coming years, more Americans will be acquiring additional citizenships in whatever way they can. Multiple citizenship is being normalized in American society.” – Peter J Spiro
The US passport’s drop in rank isn’t a rank-by-rank shuffling of positions on your list of countries’ passports. It embodies a deeper change in global mobility and the nature of soft power. Christian H. Kaelin, a preeminent authority on global citizenship and migration trends, makes a profound point. Countries that are more open and collaborative are moving forward, while those that are holding tight to their past privileges are falling behind.
“The declining strength of the US passport over the past decade is more than just a reshuffle in rankings – it signals a fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics,” – Christian H Kaelin
In a much more unexpected turn of events, the current geopolitical climate has spurred increasing interest among Americans in acquiring dual citizenship. As they face increasing restrictions on travel and employment opportunities abroad, many are recognizing the potential benefits of holding multiple citizenships. This trend is on the rise, as attitudes toward dual nationality shift in favor of acceptance within American society.