By Doreen Ling
KUCHING, July 24: Malaysia has been ranked as the seventh most powerful passport in the world, enabling holders to travel to 183 destinations without a prior visa.
According to the Henley Passport Index 2026, Malaysia shares seventh place with Australia, Canada, Czechia, Latvia, New Zealand, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Focusing on Southeast Asia, Malaysia ranked second behind Singapore, which ranked first with visa-free access to 192 destinations.
In second place are Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates with a visa-free score of 188 each, while Sweden ranked third with 187.
Meanwhile, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain ranked fourth (186); followed by Austria, Greece, Malta, Portugal, and Switzerland in fifth (185); and Hungary, Poland, and the United Kingdom in sixth (184).
The index also showed that Malaysia ranked ahead of several advanced economies such as the United States and Iceland, which shared tenth place, and Hong Kong, which was ranked 14th.
The index included 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.
In the 2025 edition of the index, Malaysia ranked 12th globally.— DayakDaily
