According to Henley & Partner's 2024 Passport Index, which was announced on Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates passport has become more powerful over the course of the past year, climbing two points to rise to the eleventh spot and allowing visa-free access to 183 countries.
By adding an impressive 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has remained the country that has climbed the most on the Index over the previous decade. This has resulted in a significant leap of 44 places in the ranking, moving it from the 55th position to the 11th position.
The UAE passport occupies the leading positions
In addition, the United Arab Emirates passport continued to hold the leadership position in the region, with Qatar (53), Kuwait (55), Bahrain (59), Oman (60), and Saudi Arabia (61) following in its footsteps.
The countries of Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia do not require visas for citizens to enter 108, 102, 91, 90, and 89 countries, respectively, while they hold a passport.
Henley Passport Index
The Henley & Partner 2024 Passport Index placed Afghanistan (104), Syria (103), Iraq (102), Pakistan (101) and Yemen (100) at the bottom of the list of countries with the lowest rankings.
While India's passport was ranked 80th, which was an increase of three spots, Bangladesh's passport was ranked 97th, which was an increase of one position.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the source of the unique and official data that provides the foundation for this index.
The most powerful passports in the world
From a global perspective, four European countries—France, Germany, Italy, and Spain—join Japan and Singapore in having the most powerful passports in the world. Their citizens are allowed to visit an astounding 194 destinations out of 227 around the world without the need for a visa.
Over the course of the past five years, the two Asian countries have maintained their position at the top of the index, which rates all of the passports in the world according to the number of countries that its holders are able to visit without the need for advanced visas.
The worldwide mobility gap between people at the top and bottom of the index is currently bigger than it has ever been, according to Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners.
"The average number of destinations that travelers are able to access without a visa has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024," the report states. Afghanistan, on the other hand, is at the bottom of the table with access to only 28 countries that do not require a visa, according to Kaelin. As we start the new year, the top-ranked countries are now able to travel to an astounding 166 additional destinations without the need for a visa.
