The world's most powerful passports (and how Canada ranks)

The latest from the Henley Passport Index is out, and Singapore has reclaimed its title as the world's most powerful passport in the latest ranking, which was published Tuesday (July 23).

The annual list is based on official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Singapore 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 have meanwhile dropped to joint-second place, each with visa-free access to 192 destinations.

An unprecedented 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 third place on the ranking.

The United Kingdom hangs onto fourth place along with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, despite its visa-free destination score falling to 190.

The United States continues a now decade-long slide down the index, dropping to eighth spot, with access to just 186 destinations visa-free. Former “passport powerhouses,” the U.K. and the U.S. jointly held first place on the index 10 years ago in 2014.

Canada remains in seventh place on the list, tied with Czechia, Hungary and Malta, with visa-free access to 187 destinations.

Afghanistan remains entrenched as the world's weakest passport with access to only 26 countries visa-free — the lowest score ever recorded in history of the 19-year-old index.

"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,” said Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, in a press release.

Climbers, fallers & elections

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, making it the biggest climber by rising 53 places from 62nd to ninth position.

The biggest faller over the last decade is Venezuela, which has plunged 17 places from 25th to 42nd.

The country is due to hold decisive presidential elections on July 28 that could change the fate of more than seven million Venezuelans who have fled their country over the last ten years.

The Henley Openness Index, which ranks all 199 countries worldwide according to the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa, is part of Henley & Partners’ research into understanding the relationship between a country’s openness to foreigners —how many nations it allows to cross its borders visa-free — and its own citizens’ travel freedom.

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