Singapore breaks away from the peloton of six countries that shared the top spot on the Henley Passport Index as we entered the new year, reclaiming its title as the world’s most powerful passport in the latest ranking published today.
The city-state also sets a new record score, with its citizens now enjoying access to 195 travel destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free.
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain drop to joint-2nd place, each with visa-free access to 192 destinations.
A seven-nation cohort, each with access to 191 destinations without a prior visa — Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden — now sit in 3rd place on the ranking, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The UK hangs onto 4th place along with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, despite its visa-free destination score falling to 190.
The US, on the other hand, continues its now decade-long slide down the index, dropping down to 8th spot, with access to just 186 destinations visa-free.
Former passport powerhouses, the UK and the US jointly held 1st place on the index 10 years ago in 2014.
Afghanistan remains firmly entrenched as the world’s weakest passport, losing access to yet another destination over the past six months, leaving its citizens with access to only 26 countries visa-free — the lowest score ever recorded in history of the 19-year-old index.
According to IATA, airlines will connect nearly 5 billion people over 22,000 routes on 39 million flights in 2024, and the air cargo transported will reach 62 million tonnes, facilitating an astonishing $8.3 trillion in trade.
Its Director General, Willie Walsh, said that despite the immense value generated by the aviation industry, the margins are incredibly tight. “Our industry expects to record revenues of almost $1 trillion this year. Expenses, however, will also be at a record high of $936 billion. Net profit will be $30.5 billion.
"This translates to a modest net margin of around 3%, making the profit per passenger just $6.14 — barely enough for a single espresso in a typical hotel café."
Biggest climbers and fallers
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, and rising a remarkable 53 places in the ranking from 62nd to 9th position in the process.
China and Ukraine are among the Top 10 countries that have climbed the highest in the ranking over the past decade. Since 2024,
China has jumped up 25 places from 83rd to 58th (with access to 85 destinations visa-free), while Ukraine has advanced by 23 spots, from 53rd to 30th, with its nationals able to visit 148 destinations without a prior visa.
Russia, on the other hand, has fallen six places over the past ten years, from 38th to 44th position (with visa-free access to just 116 destinations).
The biggest faller over the last decade is Venezuela, which has plunged 17 places from 25th to 42nd on the Henley Passport Index.
Yemen has tumbled 15 places to sit at 100th on the ranking, while both Nigeria and Syria have fallen 13 places to 92nd and 102nd, respectively. Bangladesh comes in as the 5th-biggest faller, dropping 11 places from 86th to 97th position over the past 10 years.
It is notable that top-ranked Singapore is significantly more open than the remaining five countries of the peloton now pushed into 2nd place on the latest Henley Passport Index.
The dynamic city-state ranks 15th on the Henley Openness Index, giving visa-free access to a whopping 164 other nationalities out of 199.
By contrast, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain sit way down in 49th position, only allowing 93 countries visa-free access, while Japan is even more closed in 65th position, giving visa-free access to just 70 other nations.
While American passport holders can access 186 (out of 227) destinations visa-free, the US itself allows only 45 other nationalities to pass through its borders visa-free, putting it way down the Henley Openness Index in 78th place.
Renowned political commentator, Justice Malala, said mainstream political parties across Europe are also hardening their immigration and asylum policies, mimicking surging rightist players.
“Even historically progressive countries such as the Netherlands are seeking to install immigration and asylum regimes that are stricter than even the Schengen grouping. "
In July, South Africa and Botswana’s visa-free travel to Ireland was revoked. Some governments in the global south are questioning these moves and are actively seeking equality in the form of visa reciprocity.
In May, Namibia unveiled measures to impose entry visa requirements for more than 30 countries that have not reciprocated its open visa regime. Nigeria has also threatened to impose the same measures against countries with strict visa issuance against its passport holders, Malala said.
He added that this “complicates" the geopolitical jockeying for influence in Africa between China, the USA, and Russia. Increasingly, Russia and China are opening up access to their countries through the relaxation of visa mechanisms.
"This as Britain, the Schengen states and other EU members increase barriers to visa-free access to Europe. The call for visa reciprocity is a trickle for now. But we should not be in any doubt that it is part of a greater global movement in which developing countries are confronting policies rooted in colonial perceptions of what Africa, India, Latin America, and others, deserve.”
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