Global Citizen Solutions (GCS), a residency and citizenship-planning advisory firm, has released its fifth annual Global Passport Index (GPI), which ranks passports from 199 countries on factors including mobility access, investment attractiveness and quality of life.
The composite score represents how much of the world travelers can visit without a visa, as well as the “full value of the country” issuing the document, according to GCS.
This year’s rankings show that the United States has seen a significant deterioration — in just five years, the nation has fallen from first place to 12th, the steepest recorded decline of any G7 country in the index’s history. The primary factor? Mobility, or the number of countries that can be visited without a visa. Since 2021, the U.S.’ mobility ranking has fallen from 10th to 41st, a 31-place decline.
Our Analysis: Passport Rankings Represent Larger Issues
GCS is not alone in noting the U.S.’ downward slide: Just last year, the Henley Passport Index ranked America 10th on its list, the lowest position for the U.S. in the Henley Index’s 20-year history.
As the U.S. has taken a more hostile approach to foreign relations in recent years, many countries are reacting in kind. Brazil, for example, reinstated visa requirements for American citizens in April 2025, specifically citing the reciprocity principle as the reasoning, according to GCS.
Without better diplomacy at a government level, American citizens are likely to face an even further increase in visa requirements for travel around the world, affecting how easily they can visit various countries and potentially impacting where they will choose to go moving forward.
Fast Facts: Other Rankings
- Sweden took the No. 1 spot on the 2026 GPI, followed by Switzerland in second place and Finland in third.
- Nine of the 10 highest-ranking passports this year belong to European states, with Singapore (10th) the only outlier.
- The top 10 scores span a range of only three points, from Sweden’s 96.05 to Singapore’s 92.80.
- This year’s most notable mobility gains were seen from the United Arab Emirates, which rose from 26th to 3rd in a single year within the sub-ranking. The rapid rise demonstrates the power of active diplomacy, according to GCS.
What They Are Saying: The Index Is About More Than Mobility
“What the Global Passport Index captures that conventional passport rankings cannot is the full picture of what a passport actually delivers,” said Patricia Casaburi, CEO of Global Citizen Solutions. “Mobility matters enormously and carries the highest weight (50%) amid all dimensions, but clients asking whether to pursue a second citizenship are also asking about investment environments, about healthcare, about where their children will be educated and so on. The GPI’s three-pillar structure exists because those questions are inseparable.”
