World Most Powerful Passports 2024

World Most Powerful Passports 2024: The Henley Passport Index for 2024 has been released, and India slipped one rank down from last year to 85th. The index ranks 199 nations based on the strength of their passports, and in 2024. France has topped the list, as its passport provides visa-free access to 194 countries.

India slipped one notch down from last year to 85th even as the countries with visa-free access to Indians increased to 62 from 60 in 2023. The rank of political crisis-hit Pakistan remained the same as last year. At 106, while Bangladesh's position slipped from 101 in 2023 to 102 this year.

Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain are the other countries that are standing alongside France on the top.

Interestingly, the Maldives, India's maritime neighbour, was ranked 58th with its citizens having visa-free access to 96 countries.

In geopolitics, the strength of a country's passport is a significant metric to measure its soft power. A strong passport allows citizens to freely travel across the globe without requiring a visa.

China witnessed a marginal jump in its ranking from 66 in 2023 to 64 this year. As the country granted visa-free access to many European nations to revive its tourism sector in a post-pandemic economy. The ranking of the United States jumped from 7th to 6th position even as its anti-immigration stance seems to be a polarising issue in the upcoming Presidential elections.

Henley Passport Index Methodology

"With historical data spanning 19 years, the Henley Passport Index is the only one of its kind based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. Updated monthly, the Henley Passport Index is considered the standard reference tool for global citizens and sovereign states. When assessing where a passport ranks on the global mobility spectrum," the said on its website while sharing the details around its data.

The rankings denote that global mobility underwent a significant transformation over the last two decades as in 2006 people could travel visa-free to only 58 countries on average. However, the number has almost doubled to 111 countries this year.

While Japan and Singapore ranked first for the last five years. Four European countries—France, Germany, Italy, and Spain— climbed the ranks this year.

This comes as China granted visa-free access to these European countries and 50 other nations in efforts to revive tourism in a post-pandemic era. This follows a broader trend of countries waiving visas to encourage travel and boost economic activity. In the last eight years, for instance, both Germany and Singapore were granted visa-free travel to 35 new countries.

Finland, Sweden, and South Korea tie for second place in the rankings. In fact, the latter country has one of the highest numbers of visa waiver agreements in the world.

The U.S. ranks in seventh, one of its worst relative rankings ever. Over the last decade, its standing has fallen in rank given diplomatic tensions and its relative lack of openness to foreign tourists. For example, Brazil recently removed visa-free access to U.S. citizens for reciprocity reasons. The U.S. requires Brazilians to have a visa to travel to the country.

From a regional perspective, 23 of the top 30 passports are in Europe and the UK, three are in Asia, while two are in both North America and Oceania.