SINGAPUR (dpa-AFX) - Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world.
The city-state, which has been sharing the top spot with five other countries last year. is the sole leader in 2024 on the Henley Passport Index.
In the latest ranking published Tuesday, Singapore also set a new record score, with its citizens now enjoying visa-free access to 195 travel destinations out of 227 around the world.
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain are in joint second place, each with visa-free access to 192 countries.
Seven nations - Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden - are in third place, each with access to 191 nations without a prior visa.
The Henley Passport Index ranking is based on official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The UK, Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland are ranked fourth, with 190 visa-free destinations.
The United States continues its now decade-long slide down the index, dropping to 8th spot, with access to 186 countries visa-free.
Former passport powerhouses, the UK and the US jointly held first place on the index 10 years ago.
The UAE makes it into the Top 10 for the first time, having added an impressive 152 destinations since the index's inception in 2006 to achieve its current visa-free score of 185. The gulf country is the biggest climber by rising a remarkable 53 places from 62nd to 9th position.
Afghanistan has the world's weakest passport with access to only 26 countries visa-free - the lowest score ever recorded in the 19-year-old index.
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, said the global average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. 'However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access a record-breaking 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan.'
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