With 2024 now underway, the annual results of the Henley Passport Index provide insight into the world’s global power players, and the impact and legacy of the wars and the pandemic. It also gives us a tantalizing look at what lies ahead. Based on exclusive data from the world’s largest database of travel information, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), supported by serious in-house research, it ranks all 199 global passports according to the number of destinations holders can visit without needing a visa in advance.
Passport power rankings
Towards the end of 2023, Japan lost its spot at the top of the passport ranking for the first time in five years, overtaken by Singapore. As 2024 dawned, that lead changed again. This time however, an unprecedented six countries now share the top spot with visa-free access to a record-breaking number of destinations.
Four EU member states—France, Germany, Italy and Spain—join Singapore and a resurgent Japan 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.
Asia and Europe continue to dominate the index as we move down the list. Second place is shared by South Korea, Finland and Sweden with visa-free travel to 193 destinations. Just behind with 192 destinations are Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The UK sees a slight improvement from last year with visa free access to three more countries, taking it to 191 and fourth place, shared with Luxembourg, Portugal and Norway. The U.S. too has reversed its fortunes after a decade of decline, climbing one spot to seventh place with travel to 188 destinations without the need for a visa, the same as Canada and Hungary. Both the UK and U.S. are still toiling far below where they were a decade ago, when they dominated the global ranking in joint first position.
Still propping up the bottom of the index is Afghanistan in 104th position with visa-free travel to just 28 destinations, just behind Syria and Iraq. While chairman of Henley & Partners, Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, points to the general trend over the history of the 19-year-old ranking being towards greater travel freedom, he notes that 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.”
Passport Index climbers and fallers
Over the past decade no country has climbed higher up the index than the UAE. From a 2014 ranking of 55th it has added 106 visa-free destinations to its passport, leaping 44 places to 11th with access to 183 destinations.