The world’s most powerful passports in 2024, ranked

• Consulting firm Henley & Partners has released its 2024 ranking of the world’s most powerful passports.
• Two Asian countries and four European countries were tied for having the world’s most powerful passports.
• The United States ranked seventh, along with Canada and Hungary, behind 25 other countries.

According to the 2024 Henry Passport Index, six countries currently have the most powerful passports in the world, but the United States is not one of them.

UK-based consulting firm Henley & Partners first published the index in 2006. Passports are ranked based on the number of destinations they can access without a visa or e-visa, based on data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index includes 199 passports and takes into account the accessibility of 227 destinations.

Four European countries and two Asian countries were tied for having the most powerful passports, according to a press release from Henley & Partners. This is the first time in the history of the index.

In Asia, Singapore and Japan maintained their top positions from last year’s index. Added France, Germany, Italy, and Spain (all part of the European Union). All six have visa-free entry to 194 destinations.

The United States ranked seventh in this year’s index, along with Hungary and Canada, with visa-free entry to 188 destinations. Countries that require visas for U.S. passport holders include China, Brazil, and Vietnam. Twenty-five countries ranked higher than the United States in this index.

More than 67 million Americans traveled abroad last year, according to data from the International Trade Administration. Some of the popular destinations Americans travel to do not require a visa, such as Mexico, Canada, and Italy.

The power of the U.S. passport has declined over the past decade, peaking in 2006 and 2014, when it ranks No. 1 on the index, according to data from the Henry Passport Index. The United States has been ranked 7th since 2020, the lowest ranking in the index’s history.

Afghanistan has visa-free entry to 28 countries and ranks at the bottom of the index. The bottom five countries are Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen, with 29, 31, 34 and 35 visa-free destinations respectively.

These are the 10 most powerful passports of 2024. How many countries are each allowing visa-free access?:

1. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain
   194 destinations

2. Finland, Korea, Sweden
   193 destinations

3. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands
   192 destinations

4. Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom
   191 destinations

5. greece, malta, switzerland
   190 destinations

6. Australia, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Poland
   189 destinations

7. Canada, Hungary, USA
   188 destinations

8. Estonia and Lithuania
   187 destinations

9. Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia
   186 destinations

10. Iceland
    185 destinations