When it comes to travel, peace and power go hand in hand, according to a new report from global residency and citizenship firm Henley & Partners.
National peace and passport power are two metrics that are especially useful for travelers who are pursuing dual dual citizenship or moving abroad. In July, the firm compared its 2026 index of the world’s most powerful passports to the 2026 Global Peace Index published by the Institute of Economics and Peace. The results? Some of the most peaceful countries in the world also have the most powerful passports.
In 2026, the most peaceful country with the most powerful passport in the world is Singapore. The city-state garnered a ranking as the eighth most peaceful country on the Global Peace Index and had the number one most powerful passport on Henley and Partners’ Passport Index. Singapore’s passport offers citizens visa-free access to 192 countries, the highest number in the world.
Also at the top of the list across both indices is Japan. The Land of the Rising Sun scored the tenth place spot on the peace index, three spots higher than in 2025. The Japanese passport was ranked as the second most powerful in the world, with visa-free access to 188 countries.
Clocking in as the third most peaceful nation with one of the most powerful passports is Switzerland. With a long-held reputation as one of the most conflict-averse nations on earth, Switzerland was ranked the third most peaceful nation on the Global Peace Index. Its Schengen Area passport allows holders to enter 185 countries without a visa, making it the fifth most powerful passport in the world.
Canada is the only country in North America to have high rankings on both the Global Peace Index—where it scored 12th place—and the Passport Index, ranking seventh with visa-free access to 183 countries. (The US, by comparison, ranked 134th on the peace index and 10th on the passport index, with visa-free access to 180 countries.)
The United States and Israel stand out as “the clearest statistical outliers” to the trend, according to the report, which notes that “despite the US sitting in the bottom fifth of the GPI rankings and Israel among the five least peaceful nations in the world, both continue to enjoy exceptionally powerful passports.”
This year’s Global Peace Index shows the highest number of state-based conflicts since the Second World War. Meanwhile, global mobility has increased: The average passport in 2026 has visa-free access to 108 countries, a huge spike from the average of 58 countries in 2006, when the first Henley and Partners passport index was published.
