Six countries tie for the world's most powerful passport; India jumps 3 spots
Passport Index, offering their citizens visa-free access to a record-breaking number of destinations.
According to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Singapore now boast the most powerful passports globally, enabling their citizens to visit an impressive 194 destinations out of 227 worldwide without the need for a visa.
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Four EU member states—France, Germany, Italy, and Spain—have now joined them at the top.
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the originator of the passport index concept, highlighted the widening global mobility gap. «The average number of destinations travelers can access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, the top-ranked countries now have a staggering 166 more visa-free destinations than Afghanistan, which ranks at the bottom with access to just 28 countries without a visa,» he said.
South Korea takes the second spot alongside Finland and Sweden, enjoying visa-free access to 193 destinations. In the third spot, four EU nations—Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands—share access to 192 destinations.
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The Top 10 is predominantly European, with the UK climbing two ranks to 4th place, granting visa-free access to 191 destinations, an improvement from the previous year. Australia and New Zealand alsomoved
