New Delhi:
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain will start 2024 with the world's most powerful passport, allowing visa-free access to 194 destinations worldwide, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Over the past five years, Japan and Singapore have consistently dominated the No. 1 position. However, this quarter's ranking shows that European countries are in trouble. Finland and Sweden ranked second, along with South Korea, offering visa-free access to 193 destinations. Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands secure the third position and offer passport holders access to 192 destinations.
The Indian passport ranks 80th in the list, with citizens allowed to travel to 62 countries without a visa, including popular tourist destinations such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. India shares its current rank with Uzbekistan, while neighboring Pakistan ranks 101st.
Christian H Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and the creator of the passport index, highlighted the growing global mobility gap between countries. Despite a general trend towards greater travel freedom over the past twenty years, the difference between the top and bottom of the index has reached a record high.
Kaelin said: “The average number of destinations that travelers can access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024.”
He highlighted that the top-ranked countries now enjoy the privilege of traveling to as many as 166 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan, which ranks bottom on the list, with access to only 28 countries without a visa. Syria, with visa-free access to just 29 destinations, holds the second lowest position, followed by Iraq with 31 and Pakistan with 34.