Singapore Recrowned Most Powerful Passport in the World

26 July, London – Singapore breaks away from the peloton of six countries that shared the top spot on the Henley Passport Index as we entered the new year, reclaiming its title as the world’s most powerful passport in the latest ranking published on Tuesday.

The city-state also sets a new record score, with its citizens now enjoying access to 195 travel destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain drop to joint-2nd place, each with visa-free access to 192 destinations, and an unprecedented seven-nation cohort, each with access to 191 destinations without a prior visa — Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden — now sit in 3rd place on the ranking, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The UK hangs onto 4th place along with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, despite its visa-free destination score falling to 190.

The US, on the other hand, continues its now decade-long slide down the index, dropping down to 8th spot, with access to just 186 destinations visa-free. Former passport powerhouses, the UK and the US jointly held 1st place on the index 10 years ago in 2014.

Afghanistan remains firmly entrenched as the world’s weakest passport, losing access to yet another destination over the past six months, leaving its citizens with access to only 26 countries visa-free — the lowest score ever recorded in history of the 19-year-old index.

The Henley Passport Index ranks countries based on the number of destinations their citizens can access without a visa prior to arrival. This ranking is meticulously compiled using data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most comprehensive database of travel information.

The methodology behind this index is both comprehensive and nuanced. It considers not only visa-free access, but also a country’s diplomatic relations and international agreements. After all, the power of a passport is inextricably linked to a nation’s geopolitical standing and the strength of its global connections.

The world’s most powerful passports, according to the Henley Passport Index 2024 (as of July 24, 2024), are as follows:

The least powerful passports in the world are as follows: