A list of the world’s most powerful passports for 2024 has been revealed. The annual global ranking looks at the number of countries that citizens across the globe can enter without a visa or by visa on arrival.
Passports of the world are sorted by their Mobility Score (MS) and, for the fourth year in a row, the United Arab Emirates has topped the league. The ranting system includes visa-free countries, those that allow visa on arrival, Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA), and eVisa – if issued in less than three working days.
The higher the MS score, the better global mobility its passport holder enjoys, says Arton Capital, who have developed The Passport Index. While European countries dominate the top 20, residents of the UAE have access to more than 90 per cent of the world.
The index found those from the UAE are able to travel to 133 countries visa-free and 47 countries with a visa on arrival required. From number two to number 20, European passports dominate the rankings.
In second place sits Spain whose citizens can enter 134 countries visa-free and 45 with visa on arrival. This puts them just ahead of a whole host of its European neighbours who can enter 178 countries with ease, though there are a few small differences between how many are visa-free and how many require one on arrival.
Finland, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal, Norway, Switzerland, Greece, and Ireland are among the nations in joint third. But the UK sits at 32nd place which is ten spots down from last year’s position. Our residents can visit 125 countries visa-free and have to apply for visas on arrival in 50 countries.
The USA fares even worse and has seen its position drop to 38th from 27th last year. US citizens can access 123 countries without a visa and 50 that require a visa on arrival.
The Syrian passport holds the bottom spot in 93rd place and just above it is Afghanistan in 92nd place. Syrian citizens can access just nine countries visa-free while Afghanistan’s residents are limited to six. Those from Afghanistan are able to visit 35 countries with a visa on arrival, compared to 31 for Syria.
Arton Capital said: “As one of the most vital accessories of identity, our passports have transcended their physical form and now influence global opportunity, freedom of mobility and quality of life.
“Mandated by governments to monitor and improve their passport ranking, The Passport Index has become a trusted partner towards empowering global mobility.”
To view the full list go to passportindex.org
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