Instead of starting with the big headline, let’s jump halfway down the list. Some combination of Sweden, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Estonia, and Japan are at around the 173 country level, where the passport holders can enter the countries without a …. You may recall this is tier-four on the Global Passport Power Rank for 2025.
A tier higher, it is getting crowded! Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Luxembourg, Italy, Denmark, Portgual, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, Norway, Ireland, and South Korea, and of course this also includes Malaysia; as all are obtained on the strength tier of 174. So, Malaysia shares prominence with the heavyweights of EU passports, which is the exact point of the contribution; that Malaysia made it onto the “stage”.
The passport leaderboard was released through the Passport Index and is one of the global platforms that tracks visa-free mobility and travel privilege.
And here will be an unexpected turn: the best passport of the year 2025 is not from Europe, its a passport from the United Arab Emirates.
Any travellers with a United Arab Emirates passport can casually step into 179 countries, either visa-free or visa-on-arrival; which is practically securing their global boarding pass.
Just Below the Pinnacle Position
Just below the UAE, two countries cling to silver: Singapore and Spain, each with 175 visa-free countries.
This is where the neighborhood story gets interesting, Indonesia literally borders two of the strongest passports on the planet—Singapore is at No. 2 and Malaysia is restfully crouched in the No. 3 tier.
Picture a regional map and realize that your neighbors are gifted some of the easiest travel mobility in the world.
Hold on, What About Everyone Else?
After the Malaysia tier, the tier cascade continues:
- Sweden and friends
- Malta, Czech Republic, Romania, Latvia, Bulgaria, New Zealand
- Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Australia
- Cyprus and Iceland
- The UK and Canada
- The US
- Monaco
Interesting twist, countries touted to have global power, do not always reside at the top. Mobility and political stability often supersede population or power.
Why Is This Important?
Because the freedom to travel equals opportunity — tourism, work, education, international business, and emergency mobility. A first-class passport is essentially a key to the world, and Malaysia earned a place among the world’s elite.
So generally, the ranking is told starting from number one, but the way this story works best is to tell it backward: from the pack of strong passports, up the elite few, until we get to the only king on the throne — UAE.
And right in the middle, Malaysia stands tall, shoulder-to-shoulder with Europe’s most privileged travelers.
