The Henley Passport Index, created by London-based Henley & Partners, has been tracking travel freedom in 227 countries and territories around the world for 19 years. The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The strongest passport, which opens doors to as many as 195 countries in the world, is the Singaporean one. Just behind Singapore, in second place are the passports of Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Citizens of these countries can travel visa-free to 192 destinations.

In third place are South Korea, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, which allow visa-free travel to 191 destinations.

Interestingly, the UK and the US topped the ranking in 2014. Now, 10 years later, the UK is in fourth place (190 destinations), while the US has dropped to eighth place, with visa-free access to 186 destinations.

While Singapore enjoys a record score of 195, at the other end of the scale we have Afghanistan, whose citizens can travel visa-free to only 26 countries – the lowest score in the index’s history.

Interestingly, the global average number of destinations that travellers can access without a visa has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. What is worrying, however, is that the mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than ever before.

Yet, according to IATA estimates, nearly five billion people will take 39 million flights this year. But the true cost of air travel has fallen by more than a third, with airline profits per passenger now averaging just over $6.

Strongest passports in the world in 2024

1.     Singapore (195 destinations)

2.     France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain (192)

3.     Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden (191)

4.     Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190)

5.     Australia, Portugal (189)

6.     Greece, Poland (188)

7.     Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta (187)

8.     United States (186)

9.     Estonia, Lithuania, UAE (185)

10.  Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (184)