BANGKOK: Brunei Darussalam has climbed back to 19th place this year from the previous 20th spot in 2023 on the global passport index ranking Henley Passport Index published on Tuesday (July 23), which evaluates 199 passports.
The sultanate’s passport holders can travel visa-free to 166 out of 227 destinations worldwide.
The Brunei passport was once ranked 17th most “powerful” in the world, in 2016. The index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and reflects global trends of visa-free travel.
Singapore breaks away from the peloton of six countries that shared the top spot on the Henley Passport Index as we entered the new year, reclaiming its title as the world’s most powerful passport.
The city-state also sets a new record score, with its citizens now enjoying access to 195 travel destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free.
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain drop to joint-2nd place, each with visa-free access to 192 destinations, and an unprecedented seven-nation cohort, each with access to 191 destinations without a prior visa — Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden — now sit in 3rd place on the ranking, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The UK hangs onto 4th place along with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, despite its visa-free destination score falling to 190.
The US, on the other hand, continues its now decade-long slide down the index, dropping down to 8th spot, with access to just 186 destinations visa-free. Former passport powerhouses, the UK and the US jointly held 1st place on the index 10 years ago in 2014.
Afghanistan remains firmly entrenched as the world’s weakest passport, losing access to yet another destination over the past six months, leaving its citizens with access to only 26 countries visa-free — the lowest score ever recorded in history of the 19-year-old index.
Commenting in the July 2024 edition of the Henley Global Mobility Report, Dr Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept, says “the general trend over the past two decades has been towards greater travel freedom, with the global average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024.
However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access a record-breaking 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan”. – Borneo Bulletin/ANN
