🇲🇾 Malaysia's passport climbs to 2nd strongest in the world
The Malaysian passport has risen to 2nd place globally in the 2026 Passport Index Global Ranking — tied with Singapore, up from 3rd place last year, and now ahead of the UK, US, and most of Europe. Only the UAE ranks higher.
The ranking is based on a Mobility Score combining visa-free and visa-on-arrival access. Malaysian passport holders can now reach 175 destinations without needing a visa in advance — 129 fully visa-free, plus 46 visa-on-arrival. Only 23 destinations still require a visa to be arranged beforehand.
Worth knowing: this is specifically the Passport Index ranking. A different, equally well-known ranking (Henley) places Malaysia 7th, using a stricter "visa-free only" methodology. Both are legitimate — they just measure slightly different things, so you may see both numbers reported.
The ranking is based on a Mobility Score combining visa-free and visa-on-arrival access. Malaysian passport holders can now reach 175 destinations without needing a visa in advance — 129 fully visa-free, plus 46 visa-on-arrival. Only 23 destinations still require a visa to be arranged beforehand.
Worth knowing: this is specifically the Passport Index ranking. A different, equally well-known ranking (Henley) places Malaysia 7th, using a stricter "visa-free only" methodology. Both are legitimate — they just measure slightly different things, so you may see both numbers reported.
Global rank
2nd (tied with 🇸🇬)
Visa-free destinations
129
Visa-on-arrival
46
Visa required
23
Source: Malaysia Immigration Department, Passport Index Global Ranking 2026
🌍 Global Passport Power Rank 2026 — Top 10
By Mobility Score (visa-free + visa-on-arrival destinations) · Passport Index
| Rank | Passport(s) | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 182 |
| 2 | 🇲🇾 Malaysia, 🇸🇬 Singapore | 175 |
| 3 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 174 |
| 4 | 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇫🇮 Finland, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇮🇪 Ireland, 🇯🇵 Japan | 173 |
| 5 | 🇲🇹 Malta, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇱🇻 Latvia, 🇰🇷 South Korea | 172 |
| 6 | 🇷🇴 Romania, 🇸🇮 Slovenia, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic, 🇸🇰 Slovakia, 🇧🇬 Bulgaria, 🇪🇪 Estonia | 171 |
| 7 | 🇨🇾 Cyprus, 🇱🇹 Lithuania, 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 170 |
| 8 | 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein, 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 169 |
| 9 | 🇮🇸 Iceland, 🇦🇺 Australia | 168 |
| 10 | 🇺🇸 United States | 167 |
Why Malaysia and Singapore show as both "2nd": Passport Index ranks by total Mobility Score (visa-free + visa-on-arrival combined). Singapore has more pure visa-free access (140 vs 129), but Malaysia's stronger visa-on-arrival access (46 vs 35) brings both to an identical total score of 175.
A different ranking exists too: The Henley Passport Index uses a stricter visa-free-only methodology and places Singapore 1st, with Malaysia further down. Both rankings are legitimate — they just measure slightly different things. We cite Passport Index here since that's the source Malaysia's Immigration Department referenced.
A different ranking exists too: The Henley Passport Index uses a stricter visa-free-only methodology and places Singapore 1st, with Malaysia further down. Both rankings are legitimate — they just measure slightly different things. We cite Passport Index here since that's the source Malaysia's Immigration Department referenced.