Ireland Tops 2025 Strongest Passport Ranking, How Do China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan Rank?

The latest ranking of the “strongest” passports in the world shows that Ireland tops the list this year, becoming the country with the world’s strongest passport, followed by Switzerland. The top 9 countries are all European countries, with the U.S. passport ranking tied at 45th and the Canadian passport tied at 40th. The Taiwan passport ranks 8th, the Hong Kong passport ranks 53rd, and the Chinese mainland passport ranks tied at 119th.

In 2025, the Nomad Passport Index ranked passports of various countries around the world. While conventional passport rankings are based solely on the number of countries a passport allows visa-free entry, the Nomad passport ranking index considers five criteria, leading to a significantly different ranking compared to other passport rankings.

According to the 2025 Nomad Passport Index, Ireland holds the world’s most powerful passport. This marks the first time Ireland has taken the top spot in the annual passport ranking by Nomad Capitalist, a tax and immigration consulting company. In the 2020 ranking, Ireland was close to the top spot and shared first place with Luxembourg and Sweden.

A total of 199 countries and regions participated in the ranking. Unlike other rankings that focus solely on the number of visa-free countries, Nomad Capitalist’s ranking analyzes the following five criteria:

1. Visa-Free Travel (50%): Number of countries one can visit without a visa.
2. Taxation (20%): Assessment based on how much tax countries levy on overseas residents and foreign income.
3. Global Perception (10%): Perception of a country based on happiness and human development.
4. Dual Citizenship (10%): Ability to hold dual citizenship.
5. Personal Freedom (including press freedom, compulsory military service) (10%): Ranking of countries based on factors like compulsory military service, government oversight, and press freedom to determine their ranking in personal freedom.

“Passports are not just a travel document; they help define our identity,” Nomad stated in their report this year. “Our goal is to showcase how obtaining a second citizenship can truly empower individuals by removing restrictions, expanding freedoms, and opening up a world full of new opportunities.”

Research assistant at the company, Javier Correa, told CNBC Travel, “Ireland stands out in the ranking due to its strong international reputation, favorable tax policies for businesses, and overall citizenship flexibility.”

Among the top ten countries with the strongest passports, only the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand, tied for 10th place, are not European countries.
– Ireland
– Switzerland
– Greece
– Portugal
– Malta
– Italy
– Luxembourg
– Finland
– Norway
– United Arab Emirates (tied for 10th)
– New Zealand (tied for 10th)
– Iceland (tied for 10th)

Canada, Australia, and Chile are tied at 40th place.
The U.S. and Italy are tied with San Marino at 45th place.
The U.K., France, Estonia, Latvia, and Romania are tied at 21st place.
Hong Kong ranks 53rd. Taiwan ranks 83rd. Mainland China, Namibia, and Malawi are tied at 119th place.

Countries that excel in other rankings, like Japan, do not rank high on the Nomad list and are tied with Malaysia at 37th place. This is mainly due to Japan’s restrictions on dual citizenship and poor performance in taxation.

The weakest passport rankings on the list are held by Pakistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Yemen, and Afghanistan, ranging from 195th to 199th place.