World’s most powerful passports listed – and where the UK ranks | World | News
The world’s most powerful passports in 2024 have been revealed, with European countries dominating the top 20.
The global ranking is based on the number of countries citizens around the world can enter visa-free.
However, the one country outside of Europe that made the list secured the top spot – for the fourth year in a row.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) tops the charts, indicating that those living in the Middle Eastern country have access to more than 90% of the world.
They are able to visit 133 countries visa-free and 47 by virtue of visa on arrival.
The other 19 spots on the list are taken up by powerful countries located in Europe.
Spain has overtaken Germany (fifth) to become the second most powerful passport in the world, while Finland jumps into third place ahead of France (fourth), Belgium (sixth) and Italy (seventh).
France’s passport remains the strongest of the G20 nations.
The UK’s passport continues to fall further down the ranking, dropping 10 places from 22nd to 32nd in 2024. UK passport holders are able to visit 125 countries visa-free and 49 through visa on arrival.
The last time the UK held a top 10 spot was in 2017.
The USA has also seen its passport slide down the ranking, falling from 27th to 38th. US citizens are able to visit 123 countries without a visa and 50 by virtue of a visa on arrival.
Arton Capital, which produced the ranking, said: “With the new Trump administration incoming, it remains to be seen what steps the US will take to stop the downgrade of its once-great passport.
“Currently the weakest passport in the G7 group of nations, Trump’s incoming administration has all the motivations to make the US passport great again.”
However, the US passport remains more powerful than its “greatest competitor”, China, whose passport ranks at a lowly 110 in the power index.
South Korea’s passport is the strongest in Asia, despite falling from 17th to 21st, compared to last year’s ranking. Japan (25th) and Singapore (30th) are the next most powerful Asian passports.
At the other end of the scale are Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Pakistan, who make up the bottom five spots for the weakest passport. For residents in Syria, just nine countries are visa-free, with 31 requiring a visa on arrival. A staggering 158 countries require a visa prior to travel.
Hrant Boghossian, co-founder of the ranking, said: “The World Openness Score remained flat this year – the post-Covid recovery jump we noticed in the past few years is truly over.
“Unsurprisingly, European passports are overwhelmingly the best ranked, ahead of larger economies like the United States and China. Nearly all countries in the Balkans experienced growth in their mobility this year, a positive trend in the region we hope will continue.
“Geopolitical factors including elections and conflicts continue to influence global mobility. Despite this, we are still seeing countries collaborate and governments recognise the opportunities that visa-free agreements represent.”
