Singapore Breaks Away To Claim Most Powerful Passport In 2024 Henley Ranking

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Singapore has broken away from the group of six countries that previously shared the top spot on the Henley Passport Index, reclaiming its title as the world’s most powerful passport in the latest ranking published today. The city-state has set a new record, with its citizens now enjoying visa-free access to 195 out of 227 travel destinations worldwide. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain have dropped to joint second place, each with visa-free access to 192 destinations. Meanwhile, a seven-nation cohort consisting of Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden now occupies third place, with access to 191 destinations without a prior visa. This ranking is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The UK maintains its hold on fourth place, sharing the spot with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, despite its visa-free destination score dropping to 190. The US, however, continues its decade-long decline, falling to eighth place with visa-free access to 186 destinations. Ten years ago, in 2014, the UK and the US jointly held the top position on the index. Afghanistan remains at the bottom as the world’s weakest passport, offering visa-free access to only 26 countries — the lowest score in the 19-year history of the index.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, says: “The global average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access a record-breaking 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan.”

According to IATA, airlines will connect nearly 5 billion people over 22,000 routes on 39 million flights in 2024 but its Director General, Willie Walsh, says the margins are incredibly tight: “The aviation industry expects revenues of almost USD 1 trillion this year but expenses will also be at a record high of USD 936 billion. Net profit will be USD 30.5 billion. This translates to a modest net margin of around 3%, making the profit per passenger just USD 6.14 — barely enough for a single espresso in a typical hotel café. Despite this, the real cost of air travel has fallen 34% over the last decade.”

Climbers, Fallers, and Elections

The UAE has entered 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. This remarkable climb has seen the UAE rise 53 places from 62nd to 9th position. Conversely, Venezuela has experienced the most significant decline over the past decade, dropping 17 places from 25th to 42nd. The country is set to hold crucial presidential elections on 28 July, which could significantly impact the more than seven million Venezuelans who have fled their country over the last ten years.

Commenting in the July 2024 edition of the Henley Global Mobility Report, published today alongside the latest passport ranking, former career diplomat with the U.S. State Department and a senior non-resident associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Annie Pforzheimer, says business groups in immigration- and tourism-dependent industries in America are extremely concerned about the upcoming US election: “Their major worries relate to measures likely to be imposed under a second Trump administration, including ending the Temporary Protected Status regime, rolling back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status, and consequent mass deportations for up to 1 million people now eligible for those programs.”

Africa leads in EU visa rejections.

In newly released research featured in today’s report, Prof. Mehari Taddele Maru, an Adjunct Professor at the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute and Johns Hopkins University in Italy, analyzes Schengen visa rejection rates for African applicants in comparison to those from other regions. The findings reveal that approximately 30% of African Schengen visa applicants were rejected, in contrast to a global rejection rate of 10%, even though Africa has the lowest number of visa applications per capita. Additionally, the research indicates that the poorer the African country of origin, the higher the rejection rate for its nationals.

“Despite justifications based on apparent security or economic concerns, the European visa system clearly demonstrates a pre-determined bias against African applicants who face a triple whammy: lower passport power, higher visa rejection rates, and consequently, limited economic mobility. In short, the poorest individuals face the greatest difficulties when seeking to travel or move to more prosperous countries.”