Henley Passport Index 2024: Rankings, Trends and Implication

The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on visa-free access to destinations. Singapore regained the top spot with 195 destinations, followed by France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain.

The Henley Passport Index and Top Rankings

The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on visa-free access to destinations.
Data comes from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Henley & Partners' research.
Singapore reclaimed the top spot with visa-free access to 195 destinations.

Henley Passport Index Top 10 List

Ranking	Name of country	Access to countries without visa
1	Singapore	195
2	France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Spain	192
3	Austria, Netherlands, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Sweden, South Korea	191
4	United Kingdom, Belgium, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland	190
5	Australia, Portugal	189
6	Greece, Poland	188
7	Hungary, Canada, Czechia, Malta	187
8	United States of America	186
9	UAE, Estonia, Lithuania	185
10	Iceland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia	184
82	India, Senegal, Tajikistan	58

India's Position and Visa-Free Access

India improved from 84th to 82nd place, tied with Senegal and Tajikistan.
Indian passport holders can access 58 countries visa-free.
Visa-free destinations include Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Other accessible countries include some in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands.
Despite improvement, India's ranking highlights global mobility inequality between developed and developing nations.

Factors Influencing Passport Rankings

Number of visa-free destinations accessible to passport holders.
Countries' diplomatic relations and international agreements.
GDP per capita: wealthier countries tend to have more visa-free access.
Domestic fragility, including violence, state legitimacy, and internally displaced populations.
Surprisingly, democracy doesn't strongly correlate with passport strength.
Economic prosperity often leads to higher visa-free scores.
Open borders attract more trade, tourism, and investment.

Notable Changes and Trends

The UK and US have declined from jointly holding 1st place in 2014.
The UAE made a "meteoric ascent" from 62nd to 9th place.
China climbed from 83rd to 59th place (85 destinations).
Ukraine moved from 53rd to 30th place (148 destinations).
Venezuela dropped from 25th to 42nd place.
Afghanistan remains the weakest passport, with access to only 26 countries.
Pakistan retained its position as the fourth-worst passport at 100th place (33 countries).
Other low-ranking passports include Iraq (101st), Syria (102nd), and Yemen (100th).
Bangladesh fell from 86th to 97th place.

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