France tops the league for all-purpose passports

Publishing 2024 of the ranking Henley Passport Index will have crowned the French passport as the most 'powerful'. However, France has to share this top spot with three of its European neighbours - France, Germany and Italy.Italy, l'Spain and theGermany - as well as two Asian representatives who have been doing this for the past five years: Singapore and the Japan. The passports of these six countries open the doors of 194 destinations in the world - out of 227 listed - without a visa. L'Europe has therefore left its mark on the 2024 ranking. The Old Continent has 18 representatives in the top 5, and even 27 countries in the top 10.

The French passport, the key to so many destinations around the world, is insufficient for 32 countries. And among those destinations requiring a visa, the former French colonies are well represented, such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Niger or the Ivory Coast...

On the occasion of the publication of the 2024 awards, Henley & Partners also looked at the changes that have taken place in recent years. This was an opportunity to highlight the trend towards greater freedom of movement. " The average number of destinations that travellers can access without a visa has almost doubled, from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024."Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, which created the Passport Index, points out. He adds: "At the start of the new year, the top-ranked countries now have visa-free access to a staggering 166 additional destinations, while Afghanistan, at the bottom of the ranking, has visa-free access to just 28 countries." .

In addition, the authors of this Henley Passport Index takes a look back at the big winners - and losers - over the last ten years. In particular, it shows that United Arab Emirates stand out significantly over the period 2014-2024. The Emirati passport has added 106 destinations to its visa-free score over the decade. Its ranking has risen from 55th to 11th. Visit China as well as theUkraine are also among the countries that have made significant progress. Conversely, among the countries that have fallen most sharply in the Henley Passport Index since 2014 are Russiathe Turkeyor the Senegalthe Mali and theSouth Africa.