The world’s most powerful passports for 2024 have been revealed – and for the first time six countries share the top spot in the list.
The global ranking indicates the number of countries citizens around the world can enter visa-free.
This year, 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.
The UK has held its 2023 position of fourth, having slid down the table over the previous six years. Its citizens – along with those from Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway and Portugal – can visit 191 countries visa-free. Australia also maintains its position, in sixth place, with visa-free access to 189 countries.
Meanwhile the U.S continues to hold firm in seventh, with access to 188 countries visa-free. But it is still some way off its 2014 ranking, when it came joint first with the UK.
The world’s most powerful passports for 2024 have been revealed – and for the first time six countries share the top spot in the list. This year, four EU member states – France , Germany , Italy , and Spain – join Japan and Singapore in boasting the most powerful passports in the world. The UK has held its 2023 position of fourth, having slid down the table over the previous six years
The list has been produced by the Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (Iata). It analyses how many countries a passport holder can enter without a prior visa.
The most recent study reveals that Finland, South Korea and Sweden have the world’s second most powerful passports with visa-free access to 193 countries, while the populations of Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands (joint third) can all access 192 countries visa-free.
Afghanistan remains entrenched at the bottom of the index, with a visa-free access score of just 28 (up from 27 last year), followed by Syria (29); Iraq (31); Pakistan (34); Yemen (35) and Somalia (36) – the six weakest passports in the world.
Palestinian Territory is slightly ahead with a visa-free access score of 40, ranking it joint 98th with Nepal and Libya.
French citizens can travel to 194 destinations out of 227 around the globe visa-free
The UAE remains the biggest climber on the Henley Passport Index over the past decade, adding 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014. This has resulted in ‘a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking from 55th to 11th position’, the firm said.
Ukraine and China are also among the top five countries with the most improved rankings over the past 10 years – seeing 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.
Dr Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept, said 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.
He said: ‘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.’
Key global mobility and migration trends in 2024
Commenting in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2024 Q1, released alongside the latest Henley Passport Index, award-winning journalist and author Misha Glenny, said there’s only one piece of advice needed in the new year: Brace yourself for more uncertainty.
He commented: ‘In 2024, 40 countries making up over 50 per cent of global GDP will undergo decisive elections, including the US and several other major powers. Political trends point to a lack of geopolitical coordination heightening the risk of prospective shocks to an already precarious economic environment.
‘The general trend, however, remains steady. A decline in American and European influence and a jostling for power among the Asian big boys.’
THE HENLEY PASSPORT POWER INDEX GLOBAL RANKING 2024
1= France 194
1= Germany 194
1= Italy 194
1= Japan 194
1= Singapore 194
1= Spain 194
2= Finland 193
2= South Korea 193
2= Sweden 193
3= Austria 192
3= Denmark 192
3= Ireland 192
3= Netherlands 192
4= Belgium 191
4= Luxembourg 191
4= Norway 191
4= Portugal 191
4= United Kingdom 191
5= Greece 190
5= Malta 190
5= Switzerland 190
6= Australia 189
6= Czech Republic 189
6= New Zealand 189
6= Poland 189
7= Canada 188
7= Hungary 188
7= United States 188
8= Estonia 187
8= Lithuania 187
9= Latvia 186
9= Slovakia 186
9= Slovenia 186
10 Iceland 185
11 United Arab Emirates 183
12= Cyprus 182
12= Liechtenstein 182
12= Malaysia 182
13= Bulgaria 179
13= Croatia 179
13= Romania 179
14 Monaco 178
15 Chile 177
16 Argentina 174
17 Brazil 173
18 San Marino 172
19= Andorra 171
19= Hong Kong (SAR China) 171
20 Brunei 168
21 Israel 166
22 Barbados 165
23 Mexico 161
24 Bahamas 158
25= St Kitts and Nevis 157
25= St Vincent and the Grenadines 157
25= Vatican City 157
26= Seychelles 156
26= Uruguay 156
27 Antigua and Barbuda 153
28 Costa Rica 152
29 Trinidad and Tobago 151
30 Mauritius 150
31 Panama 149
32= Grenada 148
32= St Lucia 148
32= Ukraine 148
33 Paraguay 146
34= Dominica 144
34= Macao (SAR China) 144
35 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) 143
36 Peru 142
37 Serbia 138
38 Guatemala 137
39 El Salvador 136
40= Colombia 135
40= Honduras 135
41 Solomon Islands 134
42 Samoa 132
43= Nicaragua 130
43= Tonga 130
44 Tuvalu 128
45 North Macedonia 127
46= Marshall Islands 126
46= Montenegro 126
46= Venezuela 126
47 Kiribati 124
48= Albania 123
48= Micronesia 123
48= Palau Islands 123
49 Moldova 122
50= Bosnia and Herzegovina 121
50= Georgia 121
51 Russian Federation 119
52 Turkey 118
53= Qatar 108
53= South Africa 108
54 Belize 104
55 Kuwait 102
56 Timor-Leste 96
57 Ecuador 95
58= Maldives 94
58= Vanuatu 94
59= Bahrain 91
59= Botswana 91
59= Fiji 91
59= Guyana 91
60= Jamaica 90
60= Nauru 90
60= Oman 90
61 Saudi Arabia 89
62= China 85
62= Papua New Guinea 85
63= Bolivia 82
63= Thailand 82
64= Belarus 81
64= Suriname 81
65= Lesotho 80
65= Namibia 80
66= Eswatini 78
66= Indonesia 78
66= Kazakhstan 78
67= Kenya 76
67= Malawi 76
68= Dominican Republic 74
68= Kosovo 74
69 Tanzania 73
70 Azerbaijan 72
71= Morocco 71
71= Tunisia 71
71= Zambia 71
72 The Gambia 70
73= Cape Verde Islands 69
73= Philippines 69
73= Uganda 69
74 Armenia 68
75 Sierra Leone 67
76= Ghana 66
76= Rwanda 66
76= Zimbabwe 66
77 Kyrgyzstan 65
78 Cuba 64
79= Benin 63
79= Mongolia 63
79= Mozambique 63
80= India 62
80= Uzbekistan 62
81= Gabon 61
81= Sao Tome and Principe 61
81= Tajikistan 61
82= Burkina Faso 60
82= Madagascar 60
83= Cote d’Ivoire 59
83= Guinea 59
83= Mauritania 59
83= Togo 59
84= Equatorial Guinea 58
84= Senegal 58
85 Niger 57
86= Algeria 56
86= Cambodia 56
86= Guinea-Bissau 56
86= Mali 56
87= Bhutan 55
87= Central African Republic 55
87= Chad 55
87= Comoro Islands 55
87= Egypt 55
87= Haiti 55
87= Jordan 55
87= Vietnam 55
88= Angola 53
88= Cameroon 53
89= Congo (Rep.) 52
89= Turkmenistan 52
90= Burundi 51
90= Laos 51
90= Liberia 51
91 Djibouti 50
92 Myanmar 48
93 Ethiopia 47
94= Congo (Dem. Rep.) 46
94= South Sudan 46
95= Iran 45
95= Lebanon 45
95= Nigeria 45
95= Sudan 45
96= Eritrea 43
96= Sri Lanka 43
97= Bangladesh 42
97= North Korea 42
98= Libya 40
98= Nepal 40
98= Palestinian Territory 40
99 Somalia 36
100 Yemen 35
101 Pakistan 34
102 Iraq 31
103 Syria 29
104 Afghanistan 28
Source: Henley Passport Index
The U.S continues to hold firm in seventh, with access to 188 countries visa-free
Former career diplomat with the U.S Department of State, Annie Pforzheimer, said immigration remains one of the most intractable issues in American politics.
She said: ‘As the year begins, the political temperature in the US regarding uncontrolled migration through Mexico is threatening to derail other national priorities, leading to speculation that the country might attempt long-delayed immigration reforms.
‘Even the Biden administration has called the asylum system “broken”.’
Immigration is also ‘a highly salient political issue’ in the UK ahead of its general election this year, according to Dr Hannah White OBE, director for the Institute for Government.
Commenting in the report, she said: ‘The UK has seen unprecedented inward migration following the introduction of its post-Brexit migration regime. This increase has proven awkward for the governing Conservative party, which committed in its 2019 election manifesto to cut annual net migration to under a quarter of a million.’
Turning to the Middle East, Dr Robert Mogielnicki, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said despite the ‘devastating effects’ of the Israel–Hamas conflict, governments in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region hope to continue the economic momentum of 2023 in the year ahead.
‘The GCC has agreed to establish a Schengen-like visa system, enabling tourists to travel seamlessly throughout the region,’ he added.
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