In 2024, six countries earned the title of most powerful passport, all of which allow visa-free travel to 194 out of 227 destinations.
The four EU member states are currently ranked number one in the quarterly Henley Passport Index, alongside Singapore and Japan. They are Spain, Germany, France and Italy.
For the past five years, two Asian countries have dominated the index.
Countries such as South Korea, Finland and Sweden are in second place, with visa-free access to 193 destinations. Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Austria came in third place. The UK rose two places to fourth place.
Australia and New Zealand took sixth place, while the United States remained seventh, according to Henry’s rankings.
The 19-year-old World Passport Ranking is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), which measures the number of destinations the holder can access without a prior visa. It ranks the world’s passports based on:
According to Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, the general trend shown in the rankings is increasing travel freedom, with the average number of destinations that travelers can access visa-free increasing. It is estimated that the number will almost double from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024.
That said, he noted that the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is “wider than ever.”
For example, the highest ranking passport allows visa-free travel to more than 166 destinations, compared to Afghanistan, which ranks at the bottom of the ranking with access to only 28 countries.
The report said the United Arab Emirates was the “biggest gainer” in the index over the past decade, jumping from 55th place in 2014 to 11th place.
Other notable improvements in mobility include Ukraine and China, which each rose two places in the past year. China currently ranks 62nd in the index, while Ukraine currently ranks 32nd.
