(CNN) — In a major shake-up of the quarterly rankings of the world’s most powerful passports, an unprecedented six countries have tied for the top spot for the most popular travel documents by 2024.
Citizens of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain can enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to an incredible 194 destinations around the world – the highest number recorded since the Henley Passport Index began tracking global travel freedoms 19 years ago. The index is compiled by Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residency advisory firm based in London, using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The Asian nations of Japan and Singapore have dominated the number one spot for the past five years, but the new top five is a triumphant rise for Europe. Finland and Sweden are tied for second place with South Korea (with 193 destinations within easy reach), while Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands are in third place (with 192 destinations).
Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom are in fourth place while Greece, Malta and Switzerland are in fifth place.
France is among the 6 countries with the most powerful passports by 2024
Australia and New Zealand have improved their rankings and are now tied for 6th with the Czech Republic and Poland. Meanwhile, the United States and Canada are in seventh place, along with Hungary, with visa-free access to 188 destinations.
The United Arab Emirates is the country that has risen the most on the index over the past decade, adding the most 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014 and taking 11th place this year.
Christian H., president of Henley & Partners and creator of the Passport Index. While the general trend over the past two decades has been toward greater freedom of travel, the global mobility gap index between the top and the bottom is now wider than ever, Kelly said in a statement.
“The average number of destinations that travelers can access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” says Calin. “However, the top-ranked countries can now travel to 166 more visa-free destinations than Afghanistan, which is at the bottom of the ranking with access to only 28 visa-free countries.” Syria – with visa-free access to just 29 destinations – ranks second lowest ranking. Citizens of Iraq can reach 31 and citizens of Pakistan up to 34.
The Henley & Partners list is one of several indices created by financial firms to rank global passports based on the access they provide to their citizens.
The Arton Capital Passport Index considers passports from 193 United Nations member states and six territories: Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, Kosovo, the Palestinian Territories and the Vatican. Regions belonging to other countries are excluded.
It is also updated in real time throughout the year, but its data is collected through close monitoring of individual government portals. “It’s a tool to provide accurate, easily accessible information for the travel needs of people who travel,” Armand Arton, founder of Arton Capital, told CNN in 2022.
Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2024 puts the United Arab Emirates in first place, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 180.
Portugal is ranked #4 in the Henley Passport Index and the Arton Capital Passport Index. (Tamas Gabor/iStockphoto/Getty Images)
In second place, five European countries occupy it: Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland are ranked third, while the United Kingdom and the United States are fifth and sixth respectively.
Arton Capital’s 2023 summary highlighted last year’s surge in global mobility gains by regional energy hubs such as Hong Kong, Macau and Monaco, but declared Albania its “rising star”. “Demand for its illustrious and hard-working citizens has increased dramatically, and governments are lining up to make it easier for Albanians to live and work in their countries,” Arton Capital said in a statement.
• France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain (194 locations)
• Finland, South Korea, Sweden (193 locations)
• Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands (192 locations)
• Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom (193 locations)
• Greece, Malta, Switzerland (190 destinations)
• Czech Republic, New Zealand, Poland (189 places)
• Canada, Hungary, United States (188 locations)
• Estonia, Lithuania (187 places)
• Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (186 locations)
• Iceland (185 places)
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