This Asian Nation Boasts the World's Strongest Passport

For the last five years, Singapore has consistently held the top position on the Henley Passport Index, which ranks global passports based on the number of destinations accessible without a pre-arrival visa. The nation currently leads the 2024 index, as revealed in the latest July edition of the ranking.

Singapore now wields the most powerful passport globally, offering visa-free or visa-upon-arrival access to 195 destinations.

Utilizing data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Henley & Partners, a London-based advisory firm for global citizenship and residence, ranks the passports of 193 UN member states and six non-member entities (ROC Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestinian Territories, and the Vatican). This also includes territories attached to other nations—such as French Polynesia and the British Virgin Islands—in its compilation of 227 possible travel destinations accessible to passport holders.

Five nations share the second spot with visa-free access to 194 destinations: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain. In third place, a seven-way tie features Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden, each with access to 193 destinations. The United States ranks eighth, with access to 186 destinations—including Türkiye, which lifted its visa requirements for U.S. passport holders at the end of 2023.

This year's report highlights a sustained trend of increasing global mobility. The average number of visa-free destinations available to travelers has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024, as stated by Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners. The most significant mover in the rankings is the United Arab Emirates, which has risen from 55th to 9th place over the past decade.

There exists a substantial disparity in access between the top and bottom of the list. Currently, Afghanistan sits at the bottom in 107th place, with access to just 28 destinations. Syria and Iraq follow closely, with access to 29 and 31 destinations, respectively.

2024's strongest passports worldwide, as per the Henley Passport Index

According to the Henley Passport Index, the most powerful passports in 2024 are:

1. Singapore (195 destinations)
2. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain (192 destinations)
3. Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden (191 destinations)
4. Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190 destinations)
5. Australia, Portugal (189 destinations)
6. Greece, Poland (188 destinations)
7. Canada, Czechia, Hungary, Malta (187 destinations)
8. United States (186 destinations)
9. Estonia, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates (185 destinations)
10. Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia (186 destinations)

Henley & Partners isn’t the only organization assessing the strength of global passports. While the Passport Index by Arton evaluates the same 199 passports as the Henley Index, it does not include territories annexed by other countries and provides real-time updates, resulting in a slightly different ranking.

2024's most powerful passports worldwide, according to the Passport Index by Arton Capital

According to Arton Capital, here’s how the world’s most powerful passports for 2024 are ranked:

1. United Arab Emirates (179 destinations)
2. Spain (178 destinations)
3. Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland (177 destinations)
4. Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Poland, Sweden (176 destinations)
5. Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Portugal (175 destinations)
6. Czechia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, United Kingdom (174 destinations)
7. Australia, Estonia, Croatia, Japan, Lithuania, Slovakia (173 destinations)
8. Canada, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia, United States (172 destinations)
9. Bulgaria, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Romania (171 destinations)
10. Cyprus (170 destinations)

To view the complete rankings, visit henleypassportindex.com and passportindex.com.

This article was first published in 2020 and was last updated on July 22, 2024, to reflect the latest information.