The Israeli passport has reached its highest ranking ever in the Henley Passport Index, climbing to 18th place globally despite Israel’s ongoing security challenges and regional conflicts.
According to the 2026 rankings by Henley & Partners, Israeli passport holders can now travel to 166 destinations worldwide without obtaining a visa in advance or by receiving a visa upon arrival. The ranking marks the strongest performance for the Israeli passport since the index was first published two decades ago.
The achievement comes even as Israel ranks 159th out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index, placing it among the world’s least peaceful nations. Henley noted that passport strength is determined not only by security conditions, but also by diplomatic relations, economic influence, and the level of international trust in a country’s travel documents.
Singapore retained the world’s strongest passport, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 192 destinations. Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates tied for second with access to 188 destinations, while Sweden ranked third with 187.
The report also highlighted the UAE as the fastest-rising passport over the past 20 years, gaining visa-free access to 153 additional destinations during that period. Meanwhile, the U.S. passport, once ranked first globally, now sits in 10th place.
Henley said global travel freedom has expanded significantly over the past two decades, with the average passport now providing access to 108 destinations without a pre-approved visa, nearly double the average of 58 destinations in 2006.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
