Singapore claims back the sole crown of being the most powerful passport for the world ranking of visa-free entry in 2024. This is right after Singapore shared the top spot with five other countries earlier this year.
The most recent statistics on the global ranking of passports that allow for visa-free entrance were released on July 23 by the Henley Passport Index. In 2024, Singapore became the only country to hold the most powerful passport, allowing entrance without a visa to 195 out of 227 places.
Before January 2024, the city-state ranked 194 out of 227 tourism destinations, sharing the top spot with five other nations: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain. With visa-free travel to 192 locations, all five of these nations have fallen to second position. 192 locations will accept Singapore passport holders’ entrance without requiring a visa in 2023. In 2024, this number rose by three to 195 for the most recent ranking.
The only nation in Southeast Asia to rank among the top 10 is Singapore. At position 12, Malaysia is the next nation in Southeast Asia on the list, offering visa-free travel to 182 locations. It is positioned alongside Liechtenstein in Europe. Interestingly, the United Arab Emirates, which has visa-free travel to 185 locations, cracked the top 10 for the first time. With only 26 nations granting visa-free entry, Afghanistan’s passport continues to be the worst in the world.
“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”, Christian Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners, said in a statement.
Henley & Partners, a London-based worldwide citizenship and residency advice organization, established the Henley Passport Index, a quarterly index, 19 years ago in 2006. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) provides the exclusive statistics.