MALAYSIA’S passport has climbed to second place globally in the 2026 Passport Index Global Ranking, putting it alongside Singapore and ahead of most European countries.
The ranking, highlighted in a post by @GlobeEyeNews on X, gives the Malaysian passport a Mobility Score of 175, with the United Arab Emirates taking first place with a score of 182.
According to Passport Index, Malaysian passport holders have access to 175 destinations, comprising 129 visa-free destinations and 46 offering visas on arrival. A further 23 destinations require a visa.
Singapore also scored 175, while Spain came third with 174.
Malaysia’s passport is now the world’s second most powerful in 2026. pic.twitter.com/i6Pcje9E6Y
— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) September 29, 2026
The ranking has nevertheless prompted some Malaysians to point out that “second in the world” depends very much on which passport index is being used.
One commenter immediately asked, “According to whom??”
The reason for the scepticism is that the Henley Passport Index tells a different story.
Its July 2026 ranking placed Singapore first, with Malaysia seventh alongside Australia, Canada, Czechia, Latvia, New Zealand, Slovakia and Slovenia. Japan, South Korea and the UAE shared second place.
The two rankings also use different methodologies.
The achievement nevertheless gave Malaysian netizens plenty to celebrate and joke about.
One commenter recalled that Malaysia was once the only country whose passport holders could enter North Korea visa-free, before the arrangement was scrapped in 2017 following the assassination of Kim Jong-nam in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia subsequently banned its citizens from travelling to North Korea.
Another netizen summed up the joy of having a powerful passport with a financial reality check: “My passport says I can go almost anywhere. My bank account has issued a separate statement.”
Someone joked: “Passport: You can go everywhere. Bank account: Uh uh, I don’t think so.”
Others celebrated Malaysia sharing second place with Singapore, while one quipped that it was time to “find a Malaysian girlfriend”.
Beyond the jokes, the ranking is essentially a measure of how easily Malaysian passport holders can cross international borders.
And while a passport may open the door to 175 destinations, Malaysians still need something rather less glamorous before walking through it — enough money to get there.—Sept 30, 2026
Main image: Soya Cincau
