Henley reveals world’s most powerful passports
Travel Biz News —-
Four EU member states – France, Germany, Italy, and Spain join Japan and Singapore in boasting the most powerful passports in the world, with their citizens able to visit an astonishing 194 destinations out of 227 around the globe visa-free.
An unprecedented six countries share the top spot with visa-free access to a record-breaking number of destinations on the 2024 Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The two Asian nations Japan and Singapore have dominated 1st place on the index for the past five years.
Asian tiger South Korea joins Finland and Sweden in 2nd place with visa-free travel to 193 destinations, and another four EU nations — Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and Netherlands — share 3rd place with access to 192 , according to a release issued by Henley Passport Index.
The rest of the Top 10 is largely dominated by European countries, with the UK climbing up two ranks to 4th place with visa-free access to 191 destinations compared to just 188 a year ago.
Australia and New Zealand passport holders both improve their ranking to sit in 6th place with 189 visa-free destinations, while the US retains its 7th place with access to 188 destinations without requiring a visa in advance. It has been a decade since the UK and the US jointly held 1st place on the index in 2014.
The UAE remains the biggest climber on the Henley Passport Index over the past decade, adding an impressive 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking from 55th to 11th position.
Ukraine and China are also among the Top 5 countries with the most improved rankings over the past 10 years (a net total gain of 21 places each), and both have climbed a further two ranks in the past year.
Ukraine is now in 32nd place with 148 visa-free destinations and China is 62nd on the ranking with access to 85 destinations without a prior visa (compared to just 44 in 2014).
While Russia has seen a net gain of 24 destinations over the past decade, its visa-free score and ranking has barely shifted since 2017, and it now sits in 51st place with access to 119 destinations.
Passports Offering the Most Visa-Free Travel
Qualifying Countries in 2024 No of Nations Providing Visa-Free Access
1. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain 194
2. Finland, South Korea, and Sweden 193
3. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and Netherlands 192
4. Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, and UK 191
5. Greece, Malta, and Switzerland 190
6. Australia, Czechia, New Zealand, and Poland 189
7. Canada, Hungary, and the United States 188
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept, says although the general trend over the history of the 19-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than ever.
“The average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, as we enter the new year, the top-ranked countries are now able to 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.”
11 January 2024
Image : Henley and Partners
