The Henley Passport Index assesses passports based on the number of countries to which their holders have visa-free entry. It is continuously updated as information for each country changes. In the latest Henley’s new 2024 ranking, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain share first place with Singapore, the reigning country. With them is Japan, which had dropped to third place in the previous ranking.
This means that citizens of these six countries can enjoy a record-breaking 194 countries out of 227 around the world with visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry. This is the highest number recorded since the Henley Passport Index was established 19 years ago.
Europe leads the top ten in Henley's new list for 2024. Finland and Sweden are tied for second place, jumping from third place in the previous ranking in October. The third position is shared by Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands, with Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom in fourth place. Greece, Malta, and Switzerland are tied for sixth place.
Czechia and Poland are tied for sixth place with Australia and New Zealand; Hungary is in seventh place with Canada and the United States; Estonia and Lithuania are eighth; Latvia, Slovakia, and Slovenia are ninth; and Iceland is tenth. Cyprus and Lichtenstein are ranked 12th, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania are ranked 13th, Monaco is ranked 14th, and Andorra is ranked 19th.
The United Arab Emirates has risen to 11th in the last decade, providing visa-free access to 183 destinations. China rose to 62nd place, offering visa-free access to 85 countries. That is double the number from ten years ago.
In contrast are the big Western 'powers'. The USA and the UK were tied for first place a decade ago. The United Kingdom is now joint fourth with access to 191 destinations, while the United States is joint seventh with access to 188 destinations.
India is now ranked 80th on the Henley Passport Index for 2024, with visa-free entry to 62 countries, including popular tourist destinations such as Barbados, Maldives, British Virgin Islands, Mauritius, Thailand, Montserrat, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. In the years since the ranking started, the best position India has enjoyed was in 2006 when it came in at 71st. Check the Henley Passport Index website here to see which countries Indians can visit visa-free on visa-on-arrival.
Meanwhile, the list of countries offering visa-free entry to Indian travellers keeps on getting bigger. In November 2023, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced visa-free travel for Indian citizens. Check here for a list of great winter destinations that are visa-free for Indians.
The index, created by the London-based consulting firm Henley & Partners, is based on unique data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It covers 199 passports and 227 destinations. Here's how it works. . If no visa is required, then a score with value = 1 is created for that passport. The same applies if you can obtain a visa on arrival (VOA), a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.
Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder has to obtain a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) before departure, a score with value = 0 is assigned. This also applies if you need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival. The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required (value = 1).
