Many of us take our passports for granted, but not all are created equal – some will get you into more places than others. But in the first set of rankings for 2024, it turns out there’s not just one that sits atop the rest: there are six.
Those with a passport from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, or Spain can enter a whopping 194 destinations without a prior visa. That’s according to the Henley Passport Index, a reference tool developed using data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The rankings are updated monthly and include 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.
The first of this year’s rankings marks a distinct change in trend. Since 2018, either Japan, Singapore, or both have come in at the top position, closely followed by European countries like Germany or Finland. Now, it shares that spot with four European passports, all of which jumped up from 3rd place in 2023.
The top 10 most powerful passports (as of January 11, 2024)
- 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 (191 destinations)
- Greece, Malta, Switzerland (190 destinations)
- Australia, Czechia, New Zealand, Poland (189 destinations)
- Canada, Hungary, United States (188 destinations)
- Estonia, Lithuania (187 destinations)
- Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (186 destinations)
- Iceland (185 destinations)
Although the last 19 years of the rankings have seen a general trend towards greater travel freedom, according to Dr Christian H. Kaelin, who chairs Henley & Partners and created the passport index, the global mobility gap between those in the top and bottom spots is becoming increasingly wide.
“The average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” said Kaelin in a statement. “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.”
The latest index rankings are part of a wider analysis of global and regional mobility; the Henley Global Mobility Report, which is published quarterly, uses academic and professional geopolitical analysis to identify the most recent major and emerging trends in mobility.
Source Link: The World’s Most Powerful Passports Ranked In 2024
