Ranked: world’s most powerful passports 2024

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In 2024, the world’s most powerful passports are France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain. Holders can enter 194 nations visa-free

It’s official. Globally, we are on the move again. In 2023, international travel got going again with arrivals reaching 87% of pre-pandemic levels. An estimated 975 million tourists travelled internationally during the first nine months of 2023, an increase of 38% on the same period of 2022.

With this in mind, we take a look at the recently updated ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, compiled by the Henley Passport Index. With historical data spanning 19 years, the index ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

Tokyo city during the blossom – Japan has the joint-most powerful passports
Richie Chan/Shutterstock Japan has one of the world’s best passports

What are the world’s most powerful passports?

Four EU member states – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – join Japan and Singapore as the world’s most powerful passports. Their citizens can visit an astonishing 194 destinations visa-free out of 227 countries and territories. For the last five years, the two Asian nations have dominated the rankings.

  • France, 194 destinations
  • Germany, 194
  • Italy, 194
  • Japan, 194
  • Singapore, 194
  • Spain, 194
  • Finland, 193
  • South Korea, 193
  • Sweden, 193
  • Austria, 192
  • Denmark, 192
  • Ireland, 192
  • Netherlands, 192
Nighttime in Singapore which has the joint-most powerful passports
Kanuman/Shutterstock Singapore has one of the world’s best passports

What are the world’s least powerful passports?

Afghanistan has the world’s least powerful passport in 2024, granting easy access to only 28 destinations. It ranks just below Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen. The 10 least powerful passports are below.

  • Bangladesh, 42 destinations
  • North Korea, 42
  • Libya, 40
  • Nepal, 40
  • Palestinian Territory, 40
  • Somalia, 36
  • Yemen, 35
  • Pakistan, 34
  • Iraq, 31
  • Syria, 29
  • Afghanistan, 28
Prayer flags and a mountain in Nepal
Thanakorn chuenpongsa/Shutterstock Nepal has one of the world’s weakest passports

Increase in Visa-Free Destinations: 2006 versus 2022

The darker blue countries have increased the number of destinations their citizens can access visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival the most. Hover over a country to see the number of destinations it has gained access to since 2006.

How is the ranking calculated?

The Henley Passport Index uses data from the International Air Transport Authority to cross-check 199 passports against 227 possible travel destinations. 

For each travel destination, if no visa is required or a visa-on-arrival is available, the passport in question receives a score of 1. If a visa or other form of government approval is required before departure, the passport receives a score of 0. 

Henley Passport Index 2024
Henley The Henley Passport Index 2024

The scores for each passport are added up to produce its total score (i.e. the number of destinations to which it grants access without a prior visa). This is then ranked against all other passports to create the index. 

interesting insights

This year, an unprecedented six countries share the top spot with visa-free access to a record-breaking number of destinations. Japan has been constantly at the top of the index, either alone or jointly, for six consecutive years. 

The Colosseum in Italy which has the joint-most powerful passports
EMPERORCOSAR/SHUTTERSTOCK The Colosseum in Italy has one of the world's best passports

Over the past nine years, the US passport has fallen from the number one spot (held in 2006 and 2014) to 26th place, a position it currently shares with Canada and Hungary. The UK – which has held the top spot four times previously – is ranked 14th in 2024.

North Korea has visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 42 destinations. This includes only Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Moldovia and Russia in Europe. 

The UAE has continued its remarkable upward trajectory. In 2024, it has a score of 183 to take 35th place in the ranking. This is a rapid ascent from 2006 when it had a score of just 35 and ranked 62nd.

Dubai skyline at night
RED87PUTRA/SHUTTERSTOCK The UAE continues its rapid ascent

It remains the biggest climber over the past decade, adding an impressive 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking from 55th to 11th position.

Ukraine and China are also among the most-improved with a net total gain of 21 places each. Both have climbed a further two places since last year. Russia has seen a net gain of 24 destinations over the past decade.

Other big climbers over the last decade include Colombia, Timor-Leste, Georgia and Peru. In contrast, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, Libya, The Gambia and Sierra Leone have fared the worst. 

World’s most powerful passport – ranked

RankCountryScore
1France194
Germany
Italy
Japan
Singapore
Spain
7Finland193
South Korea
Sweden
10Austria192
Denmark
Ireland
Netherlands
14Belgium191
Luxembourg
Norway
Portugal
UK
19Greece190
Malta
Switzerland
22Australia189
Czechia
New Zealand
Poland
26Canada188
Hungary
USA
29Estonia187
Lithuania
31Latvia186
Slovakia
Slovenia
34Iceland185
35UAE183
36Cyprus182
Liechtenstein
Malaysia
39Bulgaria179
Croatia
Romania
42Monaco178
43Chile177
44Argentina174
45Brazil173
46San Marino172
47Andorra171
Hong Kong (SAR China)
49Brunei168
50Israel166
51Barbados165
52Mexico161
53Bahamas158
54St Kitts & Nevis157
St Vincent & Gren
Vatican City
57Seychelles156
Uruguay
59Antigua & Barbuda153
60Costa Rica152
61Trinidad & Tobago151
62Mauritius150
63Panama149
64Grenada148
St Lucia
Ukraine
67Paraguay146
68Dominica144
Macao (SAR China)
70Taiwan143
71Peru142
72Serbia138
73Guatemala137
74El Salvador136
75Colombia135
Honduras
77Solomon Islands134
78Samoa132
79Nicaragua130
Tonga
81Tuvalu128
82North Macedonia127
83Marshall Islands126
Montenegro
Venezuela
86Kiribati124
87Albania123
Micronesia
Palau Islands
90Moldova122
91Bosnia & Herz121
Georgia
93Russia119
94Türkiye118
95Qatar108
South Africa
97Belize104
98Kuwait102
99Timor-Leste96
100Ecuador95
101Maldives94
Vanuatu
103Bahrain91
Botswana
Fiji
Guyana
107Jamaica90
Nauru
Oman
110Saudi Arabia89
111China85
Papua New Guinea
113Bolivia82
Thailand
115Belarus81
Suriname
117Lesotho80
Namibia
119eSwatini78
Indonesia
Kazakhstan
122Kenya76
Malawi76
124Dominican Rep74
Kosovo
126Tanzania73
127Azerbaijan72
128Morocco71
Tunisia
Zambia
131The Gambia70
132Cape Verde Islands69
Philippines
Uganda
135Armenia68
136Sierra Leone67
137Ghana66
Rwanda
Zimbabwe
140Kyrgyzstan65
141Cuba64
142Benin63
Mongolia
Mozambique
145India62
Uzbekistan
147Gabon61
Sao Tome & Principe
Tajikistan
150Burkina Faso60
Madagascar
152Cote d'Ivoire59
Guinea
Mauritania
Togo
156Equatorial Guinea58
Senegal
158Niger57
159Algeria56
Cambodia
Guinea-Bissau
Mali
163Bhutan55
Central African Rep
Chad
Comoro Islands
Egypt
Haiti
Jordan
Vietnam
171Angola53
Cameroon
173Congo52
Turkmenistan
175Burundi51
Laos
Liberia
178Djibouti50
179Myanmar48
180Ethiopia47
181DR Congo46
South Sudan
183Iran45
Lebanon
Nigeria
Sudan
187Eritrea43
Sri Lanka
189Bangladesh42
North Korea
191Libya40
Nepal
Palestinian Territory
194Somalia36
195Yemen35
196Pakistan34
197Iraq31
198Syria29
199Afghanistan28

This article is updated annually with the latest available data.


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