European passports have climbed to top spot in the latest Henley passport index 2024.
France, Spain, Germany, Italy along with Japan and Singapore secured first spot to become the most powerful passports in the world, with their citizens able to visit an astonishing 194 destinations out of 227 around the globe visa-free.
The Henley passport index analyzed historical data spanning 18 years and regularly updated expert analysis on the latest shifts in passport power, the index is an invaluable resource for global citizens and the standard reference tool for government policy in this field.
The UAE remains the biggest climber on the Henley Passport Index 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, said Henley.
Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq passports left at the bottom becoming the weakest passports in the world with fewer than 31 countries to travel visa free for their citizens.
“The global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than ever.”
Chris Kalin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept.
The US passport retains its 7th place with access to 188 destinations without requiring a visa in advance.
The 2024 Henley Global Mobility Report published by Henley confirms the importance of passport power and visa-free access to promote economic progress. Allowing the free movement of people and capital across international borders enables investment and talent to flow to where it is most needed and has the highest return. The overarching narrative that links greater economic performance with visa-free access and openness to international trade, investment, and the exchange of skills is once again powerfully highlighted, underpinned, and backed by the research shown in this year’s report.