The world’s most powerful passports unveiled in 2024: Four EU countries – including France and Germany – jointly hold first place, with Britain still in fourth place and the US remaining in seventh place
The world’s most powerful passports for 2024 have been revealed – and for the first time, six countries share the top spot on the list.
The global ranking indicates how many countries citizens can enter visa-free around the world.
This year, four EU member states – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – along with Japan and Singapore, have the most powerful passports in the world, allowing their citizens to visit as many as 194 of the 227 destinations around the world visa-free.
Britain retained its fourth position in 2023, having slipped downward over the past six years. The country’s citizens – together with those from Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway and Portugal – can visit 191 countries visa-free. Australia also maintains its position at sixth place, with visa-free access to 189 countries.
Meanwhile, the US remains firmly in seventh place, with visa-free access to 188 countries. But it is still a long way from its 2014 rankings, when it tied for first place with Britain.
The world’s most powerful passports for 2024 have been revealed – and for the first time, six countries share the top spot on the list. This year, four EU member states – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – along with Japan and Singapore, have the most powerful passports in the world. Britain retained its fourth position in 2023, having slipped downward over the past six years
The list was compiled by the Henley Passport Index, based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (Iata). It analyzes how many countries a passport holder can enter without a prior visa.
The latest research shows that Finland, South Korea and Sweden have the second most powerful passports in the world with visa-free access to 193 countries, while the people of Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands (joint third) all have access to visas for 192 countries. -free.
Afghanistan remains anchored at the bottom of the index, with a visa-free entry score of just 28 (compared to 27 last year), followed by Syria (29); Iraq (31); Pakistan (34); Yemen (35) and Somalia (36) – the six weakest passports in the world.
The Palestinian Territory is slightly ahead with a visa-free entry score of 40, which puts it in 98th place together with Nepal and Libya.
French citizens can travel visa-free to 194 of 227 destinations around the world
The UAE remains the biggest gainer on the Henley Passport Index over the past decade, adding 106 destinations to the visa-free score since 2014. This has resulted in “a huge jump of 44 places in the rankings 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 decade – with a net total gain of 21 places each – and both have risen a further two positions in the past year. Ukraine now ranks 32nd with 148 visa-free destinations and China ranks 62nd with access to 85 destinations without a prior visa, up from just 44 in 2014.
Dr. Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept, said that while the general trend in the history of the 19-year ranking has been greater travel freedom, the global mobility gap between those at the top and the bottom of the index is now broader than ever.
He said: ‘The average number of destinations that travelers can access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, as we enter the new year, the top-ranked countries can now access a whopping 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 only one piece of advice is needed in the new year: brace for more uncertainty.
He noted: “In 2024, 40 countries, accounting for more than 50 percent of global GDP, will face decisive elections, including the US and several other major powers. Political trends point to a lack of geopolitical coordination, increasing the risk of future shocks in an already precarious economic environment.
‘However, the general trend remains stable. A decline in American and European influence and a power struggle between the Asian big boys.’
The US remains steady in seventh place, with visa-free access to 188 countries
Former career diplomat at the U.S. State Department, 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 threatens to derail other national priorities, leading to speculation that the country could implement long-delayed immigration reforms.
“Even the Biden administration has called the asylum system ‘broken.’
Immigration in Britain is also “a very salient political issue” in the run-up to this year’s general election, according to Dr Hannah White OBE, director of the Institute for Government.
Commenting in the report, she said: ‘The UK has seen unprecedented immigration following the introduction of its post-Brexit migration regime. This increase has proven difficult for the ruling Conservative Party, which promised in its 2019 election manifesto to reduce annual net migration to less than a quarter of a million.”
Turning to the Middle East, Dr. Robert Mogielnicki, a senior researcher at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said that despite the “devastating consequences” of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, governments in the Gulf Cooperation Council region ( GCC) hope to continue the economic momentum of 2023 in the coming year.
“The GCC has agreed to establish a Schengen-like visa system, allowing tourists to travel seamlessly throughout the region,” he added.