12-1-2024 (SINGAPORE) Singapore has maintained its position as the country with the most powerful passport in the world for 2024, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. Joining Singapore in the top spot are passports from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain. The index ranks travel documents based on the number of destinations that can be visited without a pre-approved visa.
Citizens of these six countries enjoy visa-free travel to 194 out of 227 destinations globally, as stated in a press release by investment migration consultancy firm Henley & Partners.
Singapore and Japan have dominated the top spot on the index for the past five years. During this period, Japan held the title of the most powerful passport, except in 2023 when it slipped to the second position. Singapore, on the other hand, was ranked first in 2019, 2021, and 2023, and second in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
In the previous year, Singapore’s passport allowed visa-free travel to 193 countries, earning it the title of the world’s most powerful passport. Japan closely followed with visa-free travel to 192 countries.
The Henley Passport Index utilizes official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to determine its rankings. This data is supplemented and updated using in-house research from Henley & Partners and other reliable online sources. The research team cross-checks each passport against all 227 possible travel destinations to compile detailed visa lists for all 199 passports in the database.
European countries dominate the top 10 rankings in the 2024 index. Finland, South Korea, and Sweden share the second position with visa-free travel to 193 destinations. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands occupy the third spot with access to 192 countries. The United Kingdom climbed two ranks to fourth place with visa-free access to 191 destinations. Australia and New Zealand maintain their sixth position but have increased their visa-free destinations from 188 in 2023 to 189 in 2024. The United States holds onto seventh place with access to 188 destinations without a prior visa.
Henley & Partners also highlighted the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the biggest climber on the Henley Passport Index over the past decade. The UAE has added an impressive 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014, resulting in a significant leap of 44 places in the ranking, from 55th to 11th position.
The press release further noted that Ukraine and China were among the top five countries with the most improved rankings since 2014. Ukraine now holds the 32nd position with 148 visa-free destinations, while China is ranked 62nd with access to 85 destinations without a prior visa.
At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan, ranked 104th, with visa-free travel granted to only 28 countries.
