Passports can be more or less powerful depending on the country they are issued in. This year, six countries are tied for offering the most powerful passports.
The Henley Passport Index, the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports, has updated its official global passport ranking for 2024, revealing the most powerful passports across the globe. A passport’s “power” is determined by the number of destinations its holders can access without a prior visa.
There are 199 different passports and 277 different travel destinations included in The Henley Passport Index, which uses exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to provide an accurate, up-to-date global passport ranking each year.
In 2024, six countries have taken the lead for the most powerful passports. The six-way winning tie goes to France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain, whose passports give citizens access to a whopping 194 countries. In second place is Finland, South Korea and Sweden, where passports allow entrance into 193 countries. Austria joins Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands for third place with passports that offer access to 192 countries.
In the United States, passports give citizens entry into 188 visa-free destinations, putting the U.S. in seventh place with Canada and Hungary. To view which countries the U.S. passport does and does not allow entrance into, click here.
The World’s Top 10 Most Powerful Passports:
- France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain
- Finland, South Korea and Sweden
- Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands
- Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom
- Greece, Malta and Switzerland
- Australia, Czechia, New Zealand and Poland
- Canada, Hungary and the United States
- Estonia and Lithuania
- Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia
- Iceland
To view The Henley Passport Index’s complete global passport ranking, click here.
