2024 most powerful passports: 4 European countries join Singapore, Japan on top
2024 most powerful passports (Getty Images)
Four European countries, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, joined Singapore and Japan at the top of the best passports, allowing citizens to travel to 194 out of 227 countries and territories without a visa, according to the Henley Passport Index, Bloomberg and CNN report.
For the last five years, Japan and Singapore, both Asian nations, have held the top position.
Other countries like South Korea, Sweden, and Finland are now in second place with access to 193 locations.
Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands share the third spot, allowing travel to 192 places.
2024 most powerful passports (Getty Images)
Luxembourg, Belgium, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom are in fourth place (191 destinations), and Switzerland, Greece, and Malta secure fifth place.
The United States is in seventh place (188 destinations), while ten years ago, it was at the top, along with the UK.
The United Arab Emirates climbed the rankings the fastest in the last ten years, reaching 11th place with access to 183 destinations. China, now in 62nd place, has twice as many visa-free destinations compared to ten years ago.
While travel freedom has generally increased, the gap between the best and worst passports has widened. The top countries can now travel to 166 more places without a visa than Afghanistan, which is at the bottom of the list with access to only 28 countries. The countries at the bottom include Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen.
The Henley Passport Index
The Henley Passport Index is the primary and reliable ranking of global passports, assessing the number of destinations citizens can visit without needing a visa beforehand. This index relies on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the most extensive and precise travel information database, and is further enriched by the research team at Henley & Partners.
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