Is the Anglosphere in Decline? 2025 Global Passport Index Insights

The 2025 Global Passport Index goes beyond comparing travel convenience, evaluating mobility, quality of life, and investment potential. It brought to light a subtle but consequential shake-up in the ranking of Anglosphere passports. Once the symbol of power and open-door access, the Index showed that passports of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have lost ground to others for various reasons. 

The US passport’s decline was particularly apparent, dropping 13 places from number 1 in 2021 to 14 in 2025. The Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand passports also fell down the rankings over the last four years. 

As the index extends to evaluating quality of life and investment metrics, here’s a highlight of the Anglosphere’s position in 2025: 

• After ranking as the strongest passport in 2021, the US passport slid down to 14th place in the 2025 Global Passport Index—a visible, double-digit decline that has prompted broad coverage and discussion. 
• Canada continues to rank among the world’s better passports but now sits in number 15 rather than at the very top. 
• Australia remains a powerful passport but is ranked 27 in 2025, dropping 9 places outside top 2020. 
• Though New Zealand still ranks higher than Australia, its drop was even more significant, falling from 10 in 2021 to 22 in 2025. 
• The UK slipped only one spot to 8th, yet its stagnation underscores the broader Anglosphere decline. 

These placements show a pattern: English-speaking countries still score highly for mobility and investment, but the gap between Anglosphere passports and others, such as Caribbean passports, is narrowing. Compounding the decline, EU passports such as Sweden’s and Germany’s now sit well above those from Anglosphere countries. 

Global Citizen Solutions’ Global Passport Index encourages readers to think about passports in a new way with its 2025 Global Passport Index. A passport provides more than tourism convenience — it’s an instrument that hedges geopolitical risk, cushions economic shifts, and reduces climate and social shocks. 

With the Global Passport Index moving the conversation beyond raw visa free numbers, it shows that the US passport and others that make up the Anglosphere are falling short in areas that matter most in today’s volatile world. 

Laura Madrid, Research Lead of the Intelligence Unit at Global Citizen Solutions, added to this, saying, “The 2025 Global Passport Index shows that the Anglosphere’s decline is the cumulative effect of waning reciprocity, limited diplomatic diversification, and increasingly restrictive investment environments. These shifts reveal a deeper truth – passport power today is driven less by historical influence and more by strategic global engagement.” 

Several factors explain the Anglosphere’s relative slide: 

Eroding reciprocity and visa requirements 

For years, Americans could count on sweeping visa privileges by holding a US passport, but countries like Brazil have trimmed visa free access for citizens of specific Anglosphere states in response to reciprocity policies. 

Brazil’s President Lula argued that visa waivers were previously “given for free,” prompting his administration to reintroduce visa requirements for American, Canadian, and Australian passport holders in order to correct a diplomatic imbalance. 

Aggressive diplomatic engagement by non-Anglosphere states 

Several Asian and European countries have actively expanded diplomatic ties and visa free privileges for their citizens. Singapore leads in the Global Passport Index’s Enhanced Mobility Index for 2025, with nine European countries making up the rest of the top ten. 

Caribbean nations are also reshaping expectations, using bold diplomatic efforts to improve global mobility. Passports like the St Kitts and Nevis passport now provide visa free access to 167 countries, only 12 behind the United States’ 179, while the Grenada passport and several others offer visa free access to China, an option not available to US, UK, and Canadian passport holders. 

Laura Marid supported the findings, saying, “Caribbean nations have leveraged agile diplomacy, competitive citizenship programs, and targeted mobility negotiations to accelerate their global mobility gains. These coordinated strategies have significantly reduced the gap with Anglosphere passports.” 

Hurdles for incoming foreign capital and migration 

Almost every Anglosphere nation has implemented policies that make foreign investment more difficult, which is a major factor behind the Investment Index ranking. 

• United States: Introduced the “America First Investment Policy” in February 2025 to favor foreign investment from allies.  

• With the US also introducing the “Gold Card” program, targeted toward ultra-high-net-worth individuals, it may not be accessible to many investors. 

• Canada: Canada introduced a designated organization cap until the end of December 2026, limiting the number of applicants these organizations can sponsor. 

• United Kingdom: Raised the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) requirement from Level 3 to Level 6 for Skilled Worker Visas. 

• New Zealand: Though New Zealand has made changes to attract high-net-worth individuals, pushing active investments like business and equities also imposes strict liquidity and property limits that could deter more risk-averse investors. 

The three Commonwealth Anglosphere peers retain strong passports, but they’re not immune. Canada still offers broad visa-free access and quality of life advantages, but its drop in ranking hasn’t been that far behind that of the United States. It fell from 3rd in 2021 to 15th in the 2025 Global Passport Index, showing that even strong passports can lose ground as other nations continue to develop economically and improve international relations. 

Australia is balancing national security strategies with accessible immigration policies to attract students, professionals, and foreign investment. That said, the nation has seen itself fall even further behind the countries at the top of the Global Passport Index, now ranking 27th from 18th in 2021. 

The New Zealand passport continues to provide good access, safety, and stability for its holders, but competition from advanced and developing nations is curbing its appeal. The country’s Oceanic neighbor, Nauru, introduced the Nauru Citizenship by Investment Program in 2024, starting from just $105,000. Oman launched an affordable Golden Visa with a $500,000 minimum requirement in August 2025, expanding the options in a region that was once relatively restricted. 

The Anglosphere’s collective slide down the rankings of the Global Passport Index is a clear warning that past privilege is never guaranteed. With passports like the Antigua and Barbuda passport climbing 14 places and the Estonian passport climbing 16, it shows that passport strength is shaped less by historical reputation and far more by diplomatic strategy, economic direction, and long-term resilience planning. 

From citizens to international investors, passport power should now be viewed as a core part of risk management, where diplomatic outreach, visa reciprocity, and forward-thinking governance will increasingly determine global access and personal security. To gain a more in-depth understanding of where Anglosphere nations stand, explore the results of the 2025 Global Passport Index.