Barbados retains strongest Caribbean passport for 10th straight year – CNW Network

CNW – Barbados continues to hold the most powerful passport in the Caribbean, ranking 20th globally in the 2025 Henley Passport Index with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 163 destinations.

The island nation once again leads its regional peers, maintaining its reputation for broad global mobility. This is the 10th straight year that the island has maintained its position.

Close behind is The Bahamas, which sits at 21st with access to 159 countries, followed by St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 24th (156 countries), and St. Kitts and Nevis in 25th (154 countries).

The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can enter without obtaining a visa in advance. It covers 199 passports and 227 destinations globally. The 2025 rankings highlight not just regional leaders but also notable shifts among global powers.

According to Henley & Partners, the United Kingdom and United States have each dropped one spot since January, continuing a long-term decline in global passport strength. Once the most powerful passports in the world — the UK in 2015 and the US in 2014 — they now rank 6th and 10th, respectively. The UK offers access to 186 destinations, while the US trails with 182, putting it on the brink of falling out of the global Top 10 for the first time in the index’s 20-year history.

Other Caribbean nations featured in this year’s index include:

• Antigua and Barbuda – 26th (152 countries)

• Trinidad and Tobago – 28th (148 countries)

• Grenada – 29th (147 countries)

• St. Lucia – 30th (146 countries)

• Dominica – 32nd (143 countries)

• Belize – 49th (102 countries)

• Guyana – 54th (91 countries)

• Jamaica – 56th (88 countries)

• Suriname – 64th (78 countries)

• Dominican Republic – 67th (73 countries)

• Cuba – 76th (60 countries)

• Haiti – 83rd (52 countries)

Singapore once again tops the global ranking, offering visa-free access to 193 destinations, followed by Japan (190), and a group of European countries including France, Germany, and Italy.

The 2025 Index reflects both the Caribbean’s steady improvement in global mobility—driven in part by visa waiver agreements and citizenship-by-investment programs—and the shifting dynamics affecting traditional powerhouses like the U.S. and UK.