Several rating agencies representing private entities publish their ratings of the world's most and least powerful passports each year. One factor used to determine the ranking includes how many countries its holders can enter without a visa or with one secured on arrival. Other considerations include GDP and the Human Development Index, which determine how difficult it is for the nation to attract business talent.
When immigration consultancy Nomad Capitalist included this last factor in its ranking, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates were among those with some of the most powerful passports in the world.
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These are the factors that make these passports the strongest of 2024
The Henley Index and global visa information platform VisaGuide.world are considered the most authoritative passport classifications in the industry. This week, the Henley Index released an updated ranking that puts the city-state of Singapore at the top, making it the world's most powerful passport.
Singapore was also a leader when Henley published its rankings in July 2024, but was second to Spain in VisaGuide.world's 2023 ranking. This year, the Scandinavian nation of Finland came in second, while Spain, Denmark and Italy completed the top five. in that order.
The classification weights a total of seven categories, such as access to visa-free travel (this category occupies the highest), as well as the country's GDP and human and tourism development indices. Finland, which moved from the top 10 to second place this year, is often rated as a country with high levels of happiness among its residents.
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The five strongest passports
Meanwhile, Singapore has held a high position for years due to the high quality of life in the Asian state.
“The Singapore passport is the strongest passport in the world, with a score of 91.27 as of December 2024,” the report reads. “They are followed by the Finnish, Spanish, Danish and Italian passports, respectively, to complete the list of the five most powerful passports for 2024.”
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In this ranking, the United States took a humble 43rd place, between the small European countries of Andorra and San Marino. The low ranking, which is also shared by other Western nations such as Canada and the United Kingdom, is mainly influenced by these countries' strict border rules and their worsening relations with nations such as China at a time when the latter is opening up its border rules. visas to residents in many European countries.
When Henley began publishing its passport rankings in 2006, the United States was at the top of the list. However, the next few decades placed the United States significantly lower, even according to the rating system, which generally rated it higher.
According to Visaguide.world's ranking, the war-torn African nation of Somalia has the least powerful passport in 2024; Only 10 of the 195 countries recognized by the United Nations grant visa-free travel to Somalis. In comparison, a Singapore citizen can enter 160 countries around the world without a visa and obtain an e-visa or visa on arrival in another 40 (in some cases, one of these two categories may apply depending on how long you plan to stay) . .
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