There’s been a shake-up in the
passport
world. For the past five years Singapore and Japan have boasted the world’s most powerful
travel documents
, granting their citizens access to more countries without a prior visa than anyone else. This year, however, things have changed.
The landscape of global passports has undergone a significant transformation this year. The
2024 Henley Passport Index
, which utilizes official data from the
International Air Transport Association
(IATA), reveals a record-breaking achievement with six countries sharing the top spot for the most powerful passports. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Singapore lead the ranking, offering their citizens visa-free access to 194 out of 227 global destinations. This marks a significant trend in increasing travel freedom, with the average number of destinations accessible visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024.
South Korea, Finland, and Sweden are in second place, allowing visa-free travel to 193 destinations. Four EU nations – Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands – are in third place with access to 192 destinations. The UK has risen to fourth place, and the US remains in seventh, highlighting a shift since they jointly held the top spot in 2014.
The UAE has shown remarkable progress, climbing 44 places in the ranking over the past decade, now sitting at 11th position. Ukraine and China have also significantly improved their rankings. In contrast, Russia's ranking has remained relatively static since 2017.
India, with a score of 62 is at 80th place.
The report also discusses the importance of optimizing airport processes to handle increasing passenger traffic, with IATA's Timatic AutoCheck offering solutions for travel document verification.
English (US) ·