Global air travel will likely break all records in 2025, with 5.2 billion passengers predicted, but the world paradoxically is more inaccessible. More people might travel, but the number of countries deemed safe for non-essential travel has declined. So, as the list of the world's safest countries grows smaller, even holders of the world's most powerful passports, as defined by the Henley Passport Index, amongst others, have fewer places to travel than five years ago.
More People Are Flying, But List Of World's Safest Countries Is Shrinking
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts air travel will break all records in 2025 and carry 5.2 billion passengers, passing the 5 billion mark for the first time, a 6.7% rise in 2024.
It's ironic, then, that the list of the world's safest countries is getting smaller. The Telegraph said that in 2025 the "overall picture is one of diminishing horizons" because 12 more countries have been added to the Red Travel List by the U.K. government since 2019. That is to say, destinations where travel is considered too dangerous for tourists or casual visitors.
It might not sound like a lot, but as defined by the U.K. Foreign Office, this Red List now comprises 25 countries, including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Iran, Sudan, Lebanon, and Mozambique, accounting for 31,766,973 square kilometers. That's 21.3% of the world's landmass.
In addition to these 25 entire countries on the list, there are a further 47 where travel is ill-advised to parts of the country because of political instability, conflicts, and crime.
Safest Countries—The World Is More Closed In 2025 Than In 2024
The Ukraine war made Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus off limits, and the Middle East conflict means that Israel, Lebanon, and Palestine were added in October 2023 (parts of Israel and Palestine are now ranked as safe).
Conflicts in Sudan between rival military factions mean that the Foreign Office advises against visiting the entire country: unrest in Mozambique meant the government added it to the No Go list in 2024; parts of Tanzania were recently added because of public attacks by extremist groups; and large parts of Mexico are considered unsafe by the Foreign Office because of violent crime.
Likewise, parts of Moldova, Peru, Ghana, Guatemala, Uganda, and Ecuador are considered No Go areas under the same criteria, which recently hasn't always been the case.
The World's Safest Countries—The 25 Red List Countries Where Only Non-Essential Travel Is Advised
The U.K. Foreign Office advocates visiting the following countries only if travel is essential: Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mayotte, Mozambique, New Caledonia, Niger, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen. There are seven more than in 2019.
The World's Safest Countries—The 47 Orange List Countries
These countries have large parts that visitors should avoid except for essential travel as directed by the U.K. Foreign Office: Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Laos, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Congo, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Thailand, The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Western Sahara. There are five more than in 2019.
Powerful Passports Allow Visa-Free Access To More Countries
Despite the expanded reach of powerful passports, such as those ranked highly on the Henley Passport Index and Arton Capital's Passport Index, increased travel restrictions mean even holders of these documents face shrinking horizons.
A powerful passport allows visa-free access to a high number of countries. The Henley Passport Index is one of the oldest indexes that classifies the power of passports to allow visa-free access worldwide using data from IATA.
Its newly released index for 2025's Most Powerful Passports saw Singapore in the top spot, followed by Japan. Several countries shared third place, where their passports allow visa-free access to 192 countries—France, Germany, Spain, Italy, South Korea and Finland.
According to the Henley Passport Index, the U.S. passport is in ninth position, whereas a decade ago, it was in first. In the latest rankings, the U.S. passport suffered the second most significant drop, beaten only by Venezuela (in 45th place).
At the end of 2024, Arton Capital released its Passport Index, a different way to classify which passport gives the best visa-free access to the broadest amount of countries. This index rates the UAE as the most useful, allowing access to more than 90% of the world without a visa.
Outside the top spot, the rest of the top 20 passports offering the best access on this index are European. Spain beat Germany to second place, and Finland came in third. As the holder of the fourth place, France is the highest of the G20 nations. Kosovo was the highest-rising nation because it joined the Schengen region in 2024, the European agreement to allow free movement of people amongst its members' borders. The U.K. dropped from 22nd place to 32nd. In comparison, the U.K. was in 10th place in 2017.
Safest Countries—It's Challenging To Navigate A More Closed World
Having one of the world's most powerful passports might not matter if more of the world is off limits for safety reasons in 2025. The juxtaposition of booming air travel and a shrinking list of the world's Safest Countries highlights a complex global dynamic. While passport power continues to expand regarding visa-free access, geopolitical conflicts, rising instability, and heightened safety concerns can restrict travel options. The growing number of Red and Orange List countries signifies a world becoming more divided and challenging to navigate, even for the most privileged travelers.
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