Four European countries have the world’s second most powerful passport

Singapore has been recrowned as the country with the world’s most powerful passport in 2024.

Its nationals are now able to visit a record 195 countries visa-free, making them the world’s most privileged travellers according to the latest Henley Passport Index.

The city-state moves ahead of a pack of countries that were sharing the top spot at the start of the year; France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain have all dropped to second place, each with access to 192 countries sans visa. 

“The general trend over the past two decades has been towards greater travel freedom, with the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” comments Dr Christian H. Kaelin, the Henley & Partners chairman who pioneered the passport index concept. 

“However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access a record-breaking 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan.”

Released on Tuesday, here are the biggest movers and shakers in the powerful passport stakes.

How does the Henley Passport Index rank passports?

First, a note on methodology. Global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to rank the world’s 199 passports. The index has been running for 19 years, and is updated quarterly.

Countries score one point for every destination they can visit visa-free. This applies if citizens can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.

No points are awarded for destinations where a visa is required or the passport holder has to obtain a government approved e-visa before departure.

Which countries have the most powerful passports in 2024?

Singapore has reclaimed the title, affording its citizens visa-free access to a whopping 195 travel destinations out of 227 worldwide. 

European countries France, Germany, Italy and Spain dominate in second place, alongside previous title holder Japan.

Third spot is crowded by an “unprecedented” seven-nation cohort, each with access to 191 destinations without a prior visa: Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden.

The UK hangs onto fourth place together with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, despite its visa-free destination score falling to 190.

Britain and the US have slid down the rankings since sharing the top spot 10 years ago – with the latter now in eighth spot.

The UAE makes it into the top 10 for the first time, having added 152 destinations since the index started in 2006 to achieve its current visa-free score of 185.

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Henley & Partners CEO Dr Juerg Steffen attributes the country’s ascent to “deliberate and concerted efforts by the Emirati government to position the UAE as a global hub for business, tourism, and investment.”

Which countries have the least powerful passports?

Afghanistan remains stuck at the bottom of the pile, losing access to yet another destination over the past six months. Citizens in the Taliban-run county now only have visa-free access to 26 countries – the lowest score ever recorded in Henley’s index. 

The biggest faller over the last decade is Venezuela, which has plunged 17 places from 25th to 42nd in the rankings. 

The South American country has been beset by an economic and political crisis brought about by a crash in the oil price combined with chronic government corruption, says Henley. Venezuelans will be hoping that presidential elections on 28 July can change their fortunes. 

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Yemen, Nigeria, Syria and Bangladesh have all taken a tumble in the rankings lately too.

Meanwhile, China and Ukraine are among the top 10 countries that have climbed the highest in the ranking over the past decade.