Six countries now jointly hold the top position in the 2024 Henley Passport Index, offering their citizens visa-free access to a record-breaking number of destinations.
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the originator of the passport index concept, highlighted the widening global mobility gap. “The average number of destinations travelers can access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, the top-ranked countries now have a stagge ..
The Henley Passport Index 2024 was released on Wednesday, highlighting the “power” of passports of 199 countries. The index, which ranks countries based on the number of destinations that allow visa-free entry to their passport, was topped by France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain. Passports of all these countries have visa-free access to 194 destinations, three more than last year.
Japan and Singapore have continued to top the list for five years now.
South Korea, Sweden and Finland rose one spot to take joint second place, with access to 193 countries. Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands shared third place, allowing travel to 192 places.
The UK and US passports ranked fourth and seventh, respectively, with access to 191 and 188 destinations.
World’s most powerful passports: Where does India stand?
According to the latest ranking, India stands at the 80th rank in the list of most powerful passports. Its passport has visa-free access to 62 nations, including Angola, Barbados, Bhutan, Bolivia, Djibouti, El Salvador, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Qatar and Zimbabwe.
India shares the rank with Uzbekistan.
In 2023, too, India’s passport was ranked at the 80th spot, up five places from 2022. However, the number of visa-free destinations has jumped from 57 to 62 this year.
Which are the least powerful passports in the world?
The least powerful passport in the world is Afghanistan. It ranked at 104th spot with access to 28 countries. It is followed by Syria (103), Iraq (102), Pakistan (101) and Yemen (100).
Which passports have shown the most improvement in ranking?
The United Arab Emirates was the fastest climber over the past decade, jumping to 11th place and offering access to 183 destinations without a visa. China, up two spots this year to 62nd place, has visa-free access to 85 destinations — almost twice as many as ten years ago.
Global Reputation: Strong
Visa-on-Arrival Options: Limited
9. Austria
Visa-Free Score: 185
Travel Flexibility: High
Global Reputation: Strong
Visa-on-Arrival Options: Limited
10. Luxembourg
Visa-Free Score: 184
Travel Flexibility: High
Global Reputation: Strong
Visa-on-Arrival Options: Limited
83. India
visa-free score of 66.
Ranked 84th out of 199 countries, with a visa-free score of 66.
Travel Flexibility: High
Visa-on-Arrival Options: Many
Conclusion