Henley Passport Index 2024: Six countries tie for the world's most powerful passport; India jumps 3 spots

Six countries now jointly hold the top position in the 2024 Henley Passport Index, offering their citizens visa-free access to a record-breaking number of destinations.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the originator of the passport index concept, highlighted the widening global mobility gap. "The average number of destinations travelers can access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, the top-ranked countries now have a staggering 166 more visa-free destinations than Afghanistan, which ranks at the bottom with access to just 28 countries without a visa," he said.

The top dogs

According to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Singapore now boast the most powerful passports globally, enabling their citizens to visit an impressive 194 destinations out of 227 worldwide without the need for a visa.


Four EU member states—France, Germany, Italy, and Spain—have now joined them at the top.

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South Korea takes the second spot alongside Finland and Sweden, enjoying visa-free access to 193 destinations. In the third spot, four EU nations—Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands—share access to 192 destinations.

The Top 10 is predominantly European, with the UK climbing two ranks to 4th place, granting visa-free access to 191 destinations, an improvement from the previous year. Australia and New Zealand alsomoved up the ranks, securing the 6th place with 189 visa-free destinations. The US maintained its 7th place with access to 188 destinations without requiring a prior visa.

Country	Visa-free destinations	Rank
France	194	1
Germany	194	1
Italy	194	1
Japan	194	1
Singapore	194	1
Spain	194	1
Finland	193	2
South Korea	193	2
Austria	192	3
Denmark	192	3
Ireland	192	3
Netherlands	192	3

Bringing up the rear

India has jumped three places up from being 83rd in 2023 to 80th in the current ranking, now having visa-free access to 62 destinations. Last year, countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand and Kenya added India to their visa-free lists.

Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq take the last three spots in the Index, allowing citizens to travel visa-free to only 28, 29 and 31 countries respectively.