Singapore has once again claimed the top spot on the Henley Passport Index, distinguishing itself from the peloton of six countries that previously shared the lead.
The city-state now holds the title of the world's most powerful passport, with its citizens enjoying visa-free access to a record-breaking 195 destinations out of 227 worldwide. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain have dropped to joint second place, each with visa-free access to 192 destinations. Meanwhile, a cohort of seven nations—Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden—now share the third spot, with access to 191 destinations without a prior visa. The rankings are based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The UK retains its fourth-place ranking, along with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, despite its visa-free destination score falling to 190. The US, however, continues its decade-long decline, dropping to eighth place with access to just 186 destinations visa-free. In stark contrast, Afghanistan remains the world's weakest passport, offering access to only 26 countries visa-free, the lowest score recorded in the index's 19-year history.
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, remarked,
"The global average number of destinations travelers can access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, the mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than ever, with top-ranked Singapore able to access 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan."
According to IATA, airlines will connect nearly 5 billion people over 22,000 routes on 39 million flights in 2024. However, as Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General, points out, margins remain tight: "The aviation industry expects revenues of almost USD 1 trillion this year, but expenses will also be at a record high of USD 936 billion. Net profit will be USD 30.5 billion, translating to a modest net margin of around 3%, or just USD 6.14 profit per passenger."
Climbers, Fallers, and Elections
The UAE has entered the top 10 for the first time, having added an impressive 152 destinations since the index's inception in 2006, achieving a current visa-free score of 185. This makes the UAE the biggest climber, rising 53 places from 62nd to 9th position. Conversely, Venezuela has experienced the steepest decline over the past decade, plunging 17 places from 25th to 42nd. The country's upcoming presidential elections on July 28 could significantly impact the fate of over seven million Venezuelans who have fled in the past ten years.
In the July 2024 edition of the Henley Global Mobility Report, published alongside the latest passport ranking, former US State Department diplomat and senior non-resident associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Annie Pforzheimer, highlighted the concerns of American business groups in immigration- and tourism-dependent industries. She noted that measures likely to be imposed under a potential second Trump administration, such as ending the Temporary Protected Status regime and rolling back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status, could lead to mass deportations affecting up to 1 million people.
Africa Tops the List of EU Visa Rejections
New research in the report by Prof. Mehari Taddele Maru of the European University Institute and Johns Hopkins University compares Schengen visa rejection rates for African applicants to those from other regions. The findings reveal that approximately 30% of African Schengen visa applicants were rejected, compared to 10% of applicants worldwide, despite Africa having the lowest number of visa applications per capita. Maru's research underscores a bias against African applicants, who face significant challenges in obtaining visas, thereby limiting their economic mobility.
Source: Henley & Partners
