An unprecedented six countries are tied in the top spot for the hottest travel documents for 2024, according to a quarterly list of the world’s most powerful passports.
Citizens of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 194 places worldwide, the most since the Henley Passport Index began tracking global travel freedoms 19 years ago. Henley & Partners, a worldwide citizenship and residence advice firm based in London, produced the index using unique data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Japan and Singapore have dominated the top slot for the previous five years, but Europe has made a victorious return to the top five. Finland, as well as Sweden, are tied with South Korea in second place – with easy access to 193 destinations –while Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands come third (with 192 destinations).
Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, with Greece, Malta, and Switzerland ranking fifth.
Australia and New Zealand have moved up to sixth place, alongside Czechia and Poland. Meanwhile, the United States and Canada are tied for seventh place with Hungary, having visa-free access to 188 destinations.
Widening chasm
The United Arab Emirates has been the index’s most rapid riser over the last decade, adding a stunning 106 visa-free destinations since 2014 and climbing to 11th place this year.
According to Christian H. Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners and author of the passport index, while the overall trend over the last two decades has been toward increased travel freedom, the global mobility gap between people at the top and bottom of the index is currently higher 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,” says Kaelin. “However, 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.” Syria – with visa-free access to only 29 destinations – is second-lowest in the ranking. Iraq can access 31 and Pakistan can access 34.
The index produced by Henley & Partners is one of several created by financial firms to rate worldwide passports based on the access they provide to its residents.
Several indices
Arton Capital’s Passport Index considers the passports of 193 United Nations member countries as well as six territories: Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestinian territories, and the Vatican. Territories annexed by other countries are not eligible.
It is likewise updated in real time throughout the year, but its data is acquired by closely monitoring the portals of specific governments. Arton Capital’s founder Armand Arton told CNN in 2022 that it’s a platform “for people who travel, to provide accurate, simple-to-access information for their travel needs.”
The United Arab Emirates is ranked first in Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2024, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 180.
Second place is shared by five European nations: Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Austria, and Switzerland are ranked third, while the United Kingdom and the United States are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively.
Arton Capital’s 2023 roundup noticed an increase in global mobility gains by regional power hubs such as Hong Kong, Macao, and Monaco last year, but it named Albania its “rising star.” “Demand for its famously hardworking citizens has dramatically increased, with governments queuing up to make it easier for Albanians to live and work in their countries,” according to a press release from Arton Capital.
The world’s most powerful passports for 2024 are-
• France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain (194 destinations)
• Finland, South Korea, Sweden (193 destinations)
• Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands (192 destinations)
• Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom (193 destinations)
• Greece, Malta, Switzerland (190 destinations)
• Czech Republic, New Zealand, Poland (189 destinations)
• Canada, Hungary, United States (188 destinations)
• Estonia, Lithuania (187 destinations)
• Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (186 destinations)
• Iceland (185 destinations)