The world’s strongest passports for 2024 are revealed

The world’s strongest passports for 2024 have been revealed — with the largest shake-up in rankings we have seen in a number of years, together with a never-before-seen six nations in first place.

The annual Henley Passport Index ranks passports utilizing information from the Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation. The index seems to be at 199 nationwide passports, that are then scored primarily based on what number of visa-free locations the passports present entry to.

Scores are primarily based on the variety of nations you are in a position to entry with out visas as follows:

• If no visa is required, a worth of 1 is added to the rating for that passport. The identical applies in the event you can get hold of a visa on arrival, a customer’s allow or an digital journey authority when getting into the vacation spot.
• The place a visa is required or the place a passport holder has to acquire a government-approved e-visa earlier than departure, a worth of 0 is added to the rating. This additionally applies in the event you want predeparture authorities approval for a visa on arrival.

In recent years, there was little change within the rankings, with Japan retaining the highest spot 5 years in a row. Nevertheless, this yr, Japan shares first place with France, Germany, Italy, Singapore and Spain.

Associated: The 13 places you need a visa to travel with an American passport

Every nation’s passport permits visa-free entry to 194 locations out of 227 around the globe.

Simply lacking out on entry to the highest place are South Korea, Finland and Sweden, which permit passport holders to entry 193 locations visa-free.

The USA held regular in seventh place — offering entry to 188 locations with out visa necessities. Faring barely higher was the UK, which rose two locations within the rating to the fourth spot alongside Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway and Portugal — every permitting entry to 191 nations.

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Elsewhere, the United Arab Emirates stays the largest climber in rankings over the previous decade, including a weighty 106 locations to its rating since 2014 and leaping 44 locations from fifty fifth to eleventh in the identical interval.

Ukraine and China have additionally seen spectacular positive factors over the past decade, gaining 21 locations every and transferring two extra locations up to now yr — inserting Ukraine thirty second with 148 visa-free locations and China 62nd with 85 locations. Conversely, whereas Russia has added 24 new visa-free locations to its rating within the final 10 years, its total rating has barely moved since 2017, and the nation presently sits at 51st place.

Afghanistan has the least highly effective passport to carry, offering visa-free entry to only 28 locations.

“The typical variety of locations vacationers are in a position to entry visa-free has practically doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” Dr. Christian H. Kalin, chairman of Henley & Companions and the inventor of the passport index idea, mentioned. “Nevertheless, as we enter the brand new yr, the top-ranked nations at the moment are in a position to journey to a staggering 166 extra locations visa-free than Afghanistan, which sits on the backside of the rating with entry to only 28 nations and not using a visa.”