The world’s most powerful passports 2024

The passport is the single most powerful document for anyone to have when it comes to international travel, and some people often wonder how powerful their passports are compared to other countries in the world. The figures for the year 2024 are really interesting.

To accurately rank the strength of international passports around the world, the Henley Passport Index is used. The index is compiled by consultancy firm Henley & Partners and is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). According to this data, the primary deciding factor for how “powerful” a passport is is determined by how many countries are accessible and visa-free for a nation’s citizens, as well as the country’s diplomatic relations and its international agreements.

This year, unlike other years, it’s a six-way tie for the top spot. Japan, France, Italy, Singapore, Spain, and Germany all complete the top spot, and holders of any of these passports have access to 194 countries out of 227 around the globe visa-free. In second place, it’s a four-way tie, with Finland, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden all having access to 193 countries visa-free.

What are the top 10 strongest passports in the world?

This is an interesting one to answer because there are lots of ties between countries ranked 1–10, so we will have more than 10 countries to accommodate each one of them. 

Weakest passports in the world

While some passports offer opportunities to visit numerous countries visa-free, others offer limited travel freedom. The weakest passports in the Henley Passport Index 2024 have very little travel freedom. Holders of these passports have to go through the process of obtaining a visa before travelling to most countries. This process is often really long and stressful. Below are the 20 countries with the weakest passports in the world.