In a significant upheaval in the quarterly ranking of the world's most powerful passports, six countries now share the top spot for the most sought-after travel documents in 2024.
Citizens hailing from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain can revel in the privilege of visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to an impressive 194 destinations globally — the highest tally recorded since the inception of the Henley Passport Index 19 years ago.
This index, crafted by the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, relies on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
While Japan and Singapore from Asia have held the top position for the past five years, the current top five marks a triumphant ascendancy for European nations. Finland and Sweden share second place with South Korea, boasting easy access to 193 destinations. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands secure the third position with access to 192 destinations.
Notably, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom hold the fourth spot, and Greece, Malta, and Switzerland claim the fifth position.
Australia and New Zealand have made strides in their rankings, now standing in sixth place alongside Czechia and Poland. The United States and Canada share the seventh position with Hungary, enjoying visa-free access to 188 destinations.
As the gap widens, the United Arab Emirates stands out as the most significant climber over the past decade, adding a remarkable 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014, securing the 11th position this year.
Christian H. Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners and creator of the passport index, emphasized that while travel freedom has generally increased over the past two decades, the global mobility gap between top and bottom-ranked countries has expanded.
Kaelin pointed out that the top-ranked countries can now travel to a staggering 166 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan, which sits at the bottom of the ranking with access to just 28 countries without a visa. Syria, with visa-free access to only 29 destinations, holds the second-lowest position in the ranking, followed by Iraq with 31 and Pakistan with 34.
Henley & Partners' list is among several indexes by financial firms ranking global passports based on the access they provide to their citizens. Arton Capital's Passport Index, for instance, places the United Arab Emirates at the top for 2024, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 180. The second spot is held by five European countries: Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
In summary, the world's most powerful passports for 2024 include:
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain (194 destinations)
Finland, South Korea, Sweden (193 destinations)
Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands (192 destinations)
Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom (191 destinations)
Greece, Malta, Switzerland (190 destinations)
Czech Republic, New Zealand, Poland (189 destinations)
Canada, Hungary, United States (188 destinations)
Estonia, Lithuania (187 destinations)
Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (186 destinations)
Iceland (185 destinations)
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