Six countries now share the title of the most powerful passports globally, according to the 2024 Henley Passport Index, marking a notable shift from the dominance of Japan and Singapore over the past five years. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Singapore jointly hold the top spot, allowing their citizens to travel to 194 destinations without a visa. This represents 85.46% of the world’s destinations. The Henley Passport Index, an annual ranking based on data from the International Air Transport Association, indicates that the average number of visa-free destinations for travelers has nearly doubled since 2006, reaching 111 destinations. South Korea, Finland, and Sweden rank second, while Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands share the third spot. The United Kingdom has climbed to fourth place, and the United States retains the seventh position. Over the past decade, the UAE passport has seen the most significant improvement, moving from 55th to 11th position, adding 106 visa-free destinations since 2014.
In terms of regional initiatives, the planned GCC Unified Tourist Visa project is expected to enhance regional mobility, with potential positive effects on smaller Gulf states. In Africa, Kenya’s new visa-free travel policy and Rwanda’s similar move have been noted as steps towards realizing the African Union’s goal of free movement. The Henley & Partners research also highlights a correlation between investment migration programs and passport power, with countries offering residency in exchange for investment demonstrating improved rankings in both passport strength and overall economic performance. The trend toward greater travel freedom is observed, yet the global mobility gap widens, with top-ranked countries having access to 166 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan, which ranks at the bottom with access to only 28 countries without a visa.
