What’s red on the outside, purple on the inside, and grants access to 195 destinations worldwide without the need for a visa? The answer is the Singapore passport, which has just been named the world’s most powerful travel document. This prestigious title is confirmed by the latest quarterly Henley Passport Index, which ranks passports based on their global mobility.
Singapore’s Unmatched Global Mobility
For the past 19 years, the Henley Passport Index, developed by the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, has been assessing global freedoms across 227 countries and territories. This analysis relies on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Singapore’s passport tops the list with visa-free access to an impressive 195 destinations.
Close Contenders
Following Singapore, the passports of Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain are tied for the second position. Citizens of these countries enjoy visa-free travel to 192 destinations. In third place are South Korea, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, with access to 191 destinations. The United Kingdom, which shared the top spot with the United States in 2014, is now in fourth place, offering visa-free travel to 190 destinations, alongside New Zealand, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland.
Australia and Portugal are tied for fifth place, with visa-free access to 189 destinations. The United States has fallen to eighth place, granting visa-free access to 186 destinations.
A Growing Discrepancy
While Singapore’s record of 195 destinations marks a high point, the index also highlights a widening gap in global mobility. Afghanistan, which has long been ranked as having the weakest passport, now offers visa-free travel to only 26 countries— the lowest in the index’s nearly two-decade history.
Christian Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners, noted, “The global average number of destinations travelers can access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, the gap between the most and least powerful passports is now wider than ever.”
The Cost of Air Travel
According to IATA estimates, nearly five billion people are expected to travel this year across 39 million flights. Despite this, the real cost of air travel has dropped by over a third since 2006. IATA Director General Willie Walsh mentioned that airlines’ profit per passenger averages just over $6, “barely enough for a single espresso in a typical hotel café.”
African Mobility Challenges
Africa’s richest man, Nigerian-born Aliko Dangote, recently highlighted the cumbersome visa requirements for African travelers, needing 35 visas to move around the continent compared to fewer for Europeans. New research in Henley & Partner’s report reveals that about 30% of African Schengen visa applicants are rejected, compared to around 10% globally. Mehari Taddele Maru, Adjunct Professor at the European University Institute, remarked, “The European visa system shows a clear bias against African applicants, who face lower passport power, higher rejection rates, and limited economic mobility.”
Alternative Passport Rankings
Besides the Henley Passport Index, other rankings also assess global passport power. Arton Capital’s Passport Index, for instance, considers passports from 193 UN member countries and six territories, updating its data in real time. According to Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2024, the United Arab Emirates holds the top spot with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 179. Spain is in second place with a score of 178, while France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, and Switzerland are tied for third with a score of 177.
The Most Powerful Passports for 2024
1. **Singapore** – 195 destinations
2. **France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain** – 192 destinations
3. **Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden** – 191 destinations
4. **Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom** – 190 destinations
5. **Australia, Portugal** – 189 destinations
6. **Greece, Poland** – 188 destinations
7. **Canada, Czechia, Hungary, Malta** – 187 destinations
8. **United States** – 186 destinations
9. **Estonia, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates** – 185 destinations
10. **Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia** – 184 destinations
Singapore’s dominance in the global passport rankings underscores its exceptional global mobility, while the increasing disparity in passport power highlights the broader challenges faced by travelers from less powerful countries.
