The latest Henley Passport Index 2024 reveals that France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain possess the world’s most powerful passports, granting visa-free access to 194 global destinations.
This prestigious ranking is derived from data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The Henley Passport Index serves as a global assessment of countries based on the travel privileges afforded to their citizens through ordinary passports. Originally established in 2006 as the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index, it underwent a transformation and rebranding in January 2018.Â
This annual index evaluates 199 passports worldwide, gauging the extent of visa-free travel permitted for their bearers.The “score” of a particular passport is determined by the number of countries its holders can visit without the need for a visa. Since 2006, Henley & Partners, in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has meticulously examined visa regulations across nearly all countries and territories, utilising official data from the IATA’s global database.
Over the last five years, Japan and Singapore have steadfastly held the top position. Nevertheless, the latest quarterly ranking reveals a shift with European nations ascending in the standings. Finland and Sweden now share the second spot with South Korea, boasting visa-free entry to 193 destinations. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands jointly secure the third position, granting passport holders access to 192 destinations. whereas UK enables its passport holders visa free travel in 189 countries and US enables 186 countries visa free travel.
India is standing at the 80th position on the list, and its passport enables its citizens to travel to 62 countries without requiring a visa, encompassing sought-after tourist destinations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. India shares this ranking with Uzbekistan. Christian H Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the architect of the passport index, pointed out the growing global mobility gap among countries. Despite an overall trend toward enhanced travel freedom over the last two decades, the discrepancy between the top and bottom of the index has now reached an unprecedented level.
Mr. Kaelin told, “The average count of destinations accessible to travellers without a visa has nearly doubled, rising from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024.” Highlighting the significant disparity, he emphasised that the top-ranked nations now enjoy the remarkable privilege of visa-free travel to 166 more destinations than Afghanistan, currently at the bottom of the list, with access to only 28 countries without a visa. Syria holds the second-lowest position, with visa-free access limited to 29 destinations, followed by Iraq with 31 and Pakistan with 34. Pakistan is situated at the 101st position.
