The Most Influential Passports of 2024
The world's most coveted travel documents for 2024 see a remarkable tie among six countries at the pinnacle of a quarterly list, signaling a significant shift and a widening gap in global passport power
The latest quarterly ranking of the world's most powerful passports has led to a significant shakeup, with a record six countries now sharing the top spot for the most desirable travel documents of 2024.
Citizens of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain now have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a remarkable 194 destinations worldwide. This marks the highest number of travel freedoms recorded since the Henley Passport Index began monitoring global travel trends 19 years ago. The index, compiled by the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, relies on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
For the past five years, Japan and Singapore have held the top spot, but the latest rankings show a triumphant rise for Europe. Finland, Sweden, and South Korea are tied for second place with easy access to 193 destinations, while Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands come in third with 192 destinations. Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom are at No. 4, and Greece, Malta, and Switzerland are at No. 5.
Australia and New Zealand have seen a rise in their rankings and now hold the No. 6 spot alongside Czechia and Poland. Meanwhile, the United States and Canada are tied for seventh place, along with Hungary, with visa-free access to 188 destinations.
Kenya,Masai Mara,hot air balloon over plains
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Kenya goes visa-free for travelers - but theres a catch
Growing gap
The United Arab Emirates has seen the most significant increase in visa-free destinations over the past decade, adding 106 new destinations since 2014 and securing the 11th position this year. According to Christian H. Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners and creator of the passport index, there has been a general trend towards increased travel freedom over the past two decades, but the gap in global mobility between the top and bottom of the index has widened significantly.
In 2006, travelers could access an average of 58 destinations visa-free, but in 2024, that number has nearly doubled to 111, according to Kaelin. The top-ranked countries now have visa-free access to 166 more destinations than Afghanistan, which sits at the bottom of the ranking with access to just 28 countries. Syria has visa-free access to only 29 destinations, Iraq to 31, and Pakistan to 34. The Henley & Partners list is one of several global passport indexes created by financial firms to rank passports based on the access they provide to their citizens.
Portugal is at No.4 on the Henley Passport Index and Arton Capital's Passport Index.
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Multiple indexes
The Arton Capitals Passport Index considers the passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories, excluding territories annexed to other countries. The index is updated in real-time throughout the year, with data gathered by closely monitoring individual government portals. Armand Arton, founder of Arton Capitals, described it as a tool "for people who travel, to provide accurate, simple-to-access information for their travel needs," in an interview with CNN in 2022.
The United Arab Emirates tops the Arton Global Passport Power Rank 2024 with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 180. Following closely in second place are Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
According to Arton Capital's 2023 roundup, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Austria, and Switzerland hold the No.3 spot, while the UK and the US are ranked 5th and 6th, respectively.
The report also highlighted a rise in global mobility gains for regional power hubs like Hong Kong, Macao, and Monaco, with Albania being declared as the "rising star." Arton Capital noted the increased demand for Albanian citizens, with governments making efforts to facilitate their ability to live and work in different countries.
The worlds most powerful passports for 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 (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)
