City Hall of Madrid, the capital of Spain. Residents of France, Germany, Italy and Spain now have visa-free access to 194 of 227 destinations, three more than last year. Getty Images
There is a lot of upheaval in the world of passports.
For the past five years, Singapore and Japan have boasted the world’s most powerful travel documents, allowing their citizens access to more countries than any other country without prior visas. However, things have changed this year.
Four European countries shared the top spot with Asian countries in the 2024 Henley Passport Index. Residents of France, Germany, Italy and Spain now have visa-free access to 194 of 227 destinations, three more than last year.
South Korea, Sweden, and Finland moved up one place to tie for second place, with 193 locations accessed. Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands shared his third place, allowing him to travel to 192 locations.
The UK currently ranks tied for 4th place (191 destinations visited), while the US remains tied for 7th place (188 destinations). Ten years ago, the two countries shared the top spot. And if you compare this year’s list to her 2014 ranking, you’ll see some other big changes.
The United Arab Emirates had the fastest rise in the past decade, jumping to 11th place and offering visa-free access to 183 destinations. And China has moved up two places this year to her 62nd place, giving her visa-free access to 85 destinations. This is almost double what he had 10 years ago.
Dr Christian Kaelin, chairman of immigration consultancy Henley & Partners, said that while the overall trend in recent years was towards greater travel freedom, the disparity between people at both ends of the list was greater than ever. He said it is spreading.
“The average number of destinations that travelers can access without a visa has almost doubled, from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” he said.
“However, as we enter the new year, the countries at the top of the rankings now have an astonishing 166 countries that they can travel to without a visa, while Afghanistan, the lowest ranked country, has only 28 countries that they can travel to without a visa. remains.”
The bottom five are Syria (access to 29 countries), Iraq (31 countries), Pakistan (34 countries), and Yemen (35 countries).
Henley & Partners creates the Passport Index based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).