Malaysia Passport Climbs to #9 in 2026 Henley Passport Index

By Danial Martinus • 14 Jan 2026 in News

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(source: Immigration Department of Malaysia)

Malaysia has climbed to ninth place globally in the 2026 Henley Passport Index, earning a spot among the top 10 most powerful passports in the world.

The new ranking marks a sharp jump from 12th place in 2025, granting Malaysian passport holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 180 destinations. Surprisingly, this puts it just ahead of the US, which is in 10th place this year.

Singapore retains top spot, of course

London-based advisory firm Henley & Partners uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to determine passport rankings based on the number of destinations their holders can enter without a visa, or if necessary, just a visa on arrival.

To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Singapore remains in first place as the most powerful passport in the world, granting access to 192 destinations.

Japan and South Korea follow in second place with 188 destinations, while several European countries, including Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, occupy third place with 186 destinations.

Taking up the remaining bulk of the top 10 are, once again, European countries like Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, which sit just above Malaysia.

Still, Malaysia’s new ranking signals a significant change in the global passport pecking order, putting it in truly elite company. But if you take a closer look, Malaysia’s new passport ranking shouldn’t be a surprise to you.

Traditionally powerful passports are seeing some decline in power due to geopolitics, mainly countries choosing to alienate other nations through various foreign policies. Not going to name names, but you probably get the gist.

(source: Mohd Fadli Hamzah / New Straits Times)

2026 also marks the third time Malaysia has reached ninth place in the index, with the previous two times being 2013 and 2006. So it’s been a long time coming in retrospect. For Malaysians, this means fewer hoops to jump through, less paperwork, and lower travel costs.

But in the grand scheme of things, you probably won’t even feel a real-world difference in your travel experience, since Malaysian passports have always been powerful to begin with.

The timing, though, is pretty good. The Malaysian government is preparing to roll out a new Malaysian passport and redesigned MyKad in 2026 with enhanced security features.

Click here to check out the 2026 Henley Passport Index.