The world’s most powerful passports have been revealed.
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.
World’s most powerful passports
The ranking is based on official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
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 194 destinations out of 227 around the globe visa-free.
Japan and Singapore have dominated first place on the index, which ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa, for the past five years.
A ranking of passports by Henley & Partners identifies the nationalities which are able to travel the world without needing a visa.
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners said: “The average number of destinations travellers 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.”
South Korea joins Finland and Sweden in second place with visa-free travel to 193 destinations, and another four EU nations (Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and Netherlands) share third place with access to 192.
The rest of the Top 10 is largely dominated by European countries, with the UK climbing up two ranks to fourth place with visa-free access to 191 destinations compared to just 188 a year ago.
The UAE is 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.
Frederic Leger, IATA’s Senior Vice President Commercial Products and Services, said: “Checking and verifying travel documents more often than not needs to be performed manually.
“With the expected continued growth in air travel, this task needs to be automated to a much higher degree.
“Passengers have clearly communicated that they are willing to share their data in advance of travel to achieve this goal.
World’s most powerful passports
- 194 countries: France, Germany Italy Japan Singapore Spain
- 193 countries: Finland, South Korea, Sweden
- 192 countries: Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands
- 191 countries: Belgium, Luxembourg Norway Portugal UK
- 190 countries: Greece, Malta, Switzerland
- 189 countries: Australia, Czechia, New Zealand, Poland
- 188 countries: Canada, Hungary, United States
- 187 countries: Estonia, Lithuania
- 186 countries: Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia
- 185 countries: Iceland
- 183 countries: UAE
- 182 countries: Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Malaysia
- 179 countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania
- 178 countries: Monaco
- 177 countries: Chile
- 174 countries: Argentina
- 173 countries: Brazil
- 172 countries: San Marino
- 171 countries: Andorra, Hong Kong (SAR China)
- 168 countries: Brunei
- 166 countries: Israel
- 165 countries: Barbados
- 161 countries: Mexico
- 158 countries: Bahamas
- 157 countries: St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Vatican City
- 156 countries: Seychelles, Uruguay
- 153 countries: Antigua and Barbuda
- 152 countries: Costa Rica
- 151 countries: Trinidad and Tobago
- 150 countries: Mauritius
- 149 countries: Panama
- 148 countries: Grenada, St. Lucia, Ukraine
- 146 countries: Paraguay
- 144 countries: Dominica, Macao (SAR China)
- 143 countries: Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)
- 142 countries: Peru
- 138 countries: Serbia
- 137 countries: Guatemala
- 136 countries: El Salvador
- 135 countries: Colombia, Honduras
- 134 countries: Solomon Islands
- 132 countries: Samoa
- 130 countries: Nicaragua, Tonga
- 128 countries: Tuvalu,
- 127 countries: North Macedonia
- 126 countries: Marshall Islands, Montenegro, Venezuela
- 124 countries: Kiribati
- 123 countries: Albania, Micronesia, Palau Islands
- 122 countries: Moldova
- 121 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia
- 119 countries: Russian Federation
- 118 countries: Türkiye
- 108 countries: Qatar, South Africa
- 104 countries: Belize
- 102 countries: Kuwait
- 96 countries: Timor-Leste
- 95 countries: Ecuador
- 94 countries: Maldives, Vanuatu
- 91 countries: Bahrain, Botswana, Fiji, Guyana
- 90 countries: Jamaica, Nauru, Oman
- 89 countries: Saudi Arabia
- 85 countries: China, Papua New Guinea
- 82 countries: Bolivia, Thailand
- 81 countries: Belarus, Suriname
- 80 countries: Lesotho, Namibia
- 78 countries: Indonesia, Kazakhstan, eSwatini
- 76 countries: Kenya, Malawi
- 74 countries: Dominican Republic, Kosovo
- 73 countries: Tanzania
- 72 countries: Azerbaijan
- 71 countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Zambia
- 70 countries: The Gambia
- 69 countries: Cape Verde Islands, Philippines, Uganda
- 68 countries: Armenia
- 67 countries: Sierra Leone
- 66 countries: Ghana, Rwanda, Zimbabwe
- 65 countries: Kyrgyzstan
- 64 countries: Cuba
- 63 countries: Benin, Mongolia, Mozambique
- 62 countries: India, Uzbekistan
- 61 countries: Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Tajikistan
- 60 countries: Burkina Faso, Madagascar
- 59 countries: Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania, Togo
- 58 countries: Equatorial Guinea, Senegal
- 57 countries: Niger
- 56 countries: Algeria, Cambodia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali
- 55 countries: Bhutan, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoro Islands, Egypt, Haiti, Jordan, Vietnam
- 53 countries: Angola, Cameroon
- 52 countries: Congo (Rep.), Turkmenistan
- 51 countries: Burundi, Laos, Liberia
- 50 countries: Djibouti
- 48 countries: Myanmar
- 47 countries: Ethiopia
- 46 countries: Congo (Dem. Rep.), South Sudan
- 45 countries: Iran, Lebanon, Nigeria, Sudan
- 43 countries: Eritrea, Sri Lanka
- 42 countries: Bangladesh, North Korea
- 40 countries: Nepal, Palestine
- 36 countries: Somalia
- 35 countries: Yemen
- 34 countries: Pakistan
- 31 countries: Iraq
- 29 countries: Syria
- 28 countries: Afghanistan
