Macau ranks 32nd in the latest Henley Passport Index (HPI), an annual ranking evaluating passport strength based on the number of countries and territories that holders can access without a prior visa. In 2026, the Special Administrative Region’s passport allows visa-free entry to 141 destinations, four fewer than the previous year, when it held 31st place.
Despite the slight decline from 2025, the current ranking represents the second-best position since 2014, the year Macau reached 30th, and the third highest since the index began in 2006. The worst performance occurred in 2010 when the passport dropped to 44th, followed by consistent recovery from 2013 onward.
Practically, holders of the Macau passport can still travel freely to 141 destinations in 2026, a decrease from 2025 and also below the figures from 2024. Countries and territories that continue to require visas include Angola, Canada, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the United States.
In the global ranking, which assesses 199 passports, Macau is positioned between Peru, in 31st place with access to 142 visa-free destinations, and Taiwan, which occupies 33rd place with 139 destinations. Mainland China appears further down at 59th place, with visa-free access to 81 destinations — still, this represents the highest ranking the country has achieved since the index started being published, surpassing the record set in 2025.
Hong Kong stands out in 15th place — 17 positions above the Macau passport — achieving the third-best ranking in its history, only behind the results from 2013 and 2006. Passport holders from the region can currently travel visa-free to 171 countries and territories.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese passport remains among the strongest in the world, ranking 5th — 27 positions ahead of the Macau passport — alongside countries like Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United Arab Emirates, with guaranteed visa-free access to 184 destinations.
At the top of the table, Singapore retains its lead with 192 visa-free destinations, alternating between first and second place since 2018. Japan and South Korea are tied in second place with 188 destinations, while Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland share third place with 186.
At the opposite end of the ranking, Afghanistan remains in last place (101st), with only 24 destinations accessible without a visa. Other weak passports include those from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Pakistan.
According to information available on the index’s official website, the HPI is described as “the original and most reliable ranking of the world’s passports,” based on the number of destinations accessible without a prior visa. The ranking covers 227 travel destinations and utilizes exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Henley & Partners, responsible for the index, emphasizes that the HPI is based on two decades of historical data and regularly updated expert analyses, widely referenced by global citizens and policymakers.
