6 countries earned top spot for the world's most powerful passport: See where the US ranks

The cover of a U.S. Passport is displayed in Tigard, Ore., Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021.

There is such a thing as a passport power ranking. And, spoiler alert, a U.S. passport isn’t at the top.

Citizens in six countries are now considered to have the world’s most powerful passports: Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, according to the 2024 Henley Passport Index.

This is the first time in the 19 years of the index’s existence that six countries share the top spot, meaning its owners can travel visa-free to the most global destinations – their citizens can visit 194 out of 227 destinations without the need for a visa.

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With access to 193 destinations, South Korea, Sweden and Finland are closely behind. Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands tied for the third spot with visa-free travel to 192 destinations.

U.S. citizens have the 7th most powerful passport, being able to visit 188 destinations without a visa. In 2014, the U.S, held the top spot with the United Kingdom.

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For those who aren’t citizens of these countries, the good news is that over the past two decades, the general trend of the index has been greater travel freedom.

“The average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept, said in a press release.

The 2024 Henley Passport Index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, and bases its ranking on “exclusive and official data” from the International Air Transport Association.

The fastest climber on the index is the United Arab Emirates, having added 106 destinations to its visa-free score over the past decade. It went from 55th place in 2014 to 11th this year.

However, the global mobility gap between the most and least powerful countries has never been wider. The top-ranked countries are able to travel to 166 more destinations than the bottom-ranked country, Afghanistan, whose citizens can only go to 28 countries visa-free. Above Afghanistan are Syria and Iraq, offering visa-free travel to 29 and 31 destinations, respectively.

The most powerful passports in the world, according to the 2024 Henley Passport Index:

1. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain (access to 194 destinations)
2. Finland, South Korea, Sweden (access to 193 destinations)
3. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands (access to 192 destinations)
4. Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom (access to 191 destinations)
5. Greece, Malta, Switzerland (access to 190 destinations)
6. Australia, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Poland  (access to 189 destinations)
7. United States, Canada, Hungary, (access to 188 destinations)
8. Estonia, Lithuania (access to 187 destinations)
9. Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (access to 186 destinations)
10. Iceland (access to 185 destinations)

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 6 countries earned top spot for the world’s most powerful passport: See where the US ranks