World's most powerful passports: UAE enters top 10 for first time

The UAE passport has moved into the top 10 of the Henley Passport Index for the first time. The country is ranked ninth with visa-free access to 185 countries, marking an increase of 152 countries since the index began in 2006.

“[This] is the result of deliberate and concerted efforts by the Emirati government to position the UAE as a global hub for business, tourism, and investment,” says Juerg Steffen, chief executive of Henley & Partners, the London global citizenship and residence advisory firm, which compiles the index. “Our research has consistently shown a strong correlation between a country’s visa-free score and its economic prosperity. Nations with higher visa-free scores tend to enjoy greater GDP per capita, increased foreign direct investment and more robust international trade relationships."

Meanwhile, Singapore reclaimed the top spot with access to 195 destinations, the only country to do so. It is followed by France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain, which all tie for second with 192 countries. Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea and Sweden are in third with 191 destinations.

The UK hangs onto fourth place, along with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland with access to 190 countries. Australia and Portugal round out the fifth spot with 189 destinations.

Meanwhile, the US continues its descent, dropping to eighth with 186 destinations. The UK and US jointly held the top spot on the index a decade ago in 2014. Afghanistan remains at the bottom with access to only 26 countries – the lowest score recorded in the history of the Index.

“The general trend over the past two decades has been towards greater travel freedom, with the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” says Christian H Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners. “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."

The most powerful passports for 2024

1. Singapore (195 destinations)

2. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain (192)

3. Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden (191)

4. Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190)

5. Australia, Portugal (189)

6. Greece, Poland (188)

7. Canada, Czechia, Hungary, Malta (187)

8. United States (186)

9. Estonia, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates (185)

10. Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (184)

For the past 19 years, the Henley Passport Index has been tracking global freedoms in 227 countries and territories around the world, using data from the International Air Transport Association (known as Iata).

Alongside the passport data, the company released the results of several other studies, such as the world's 'most open' countries and rise of global millionaires.

The world's 'most open' countries

Additionally, the Henley Openness Index ranks 199 countries according to the number of nationalities they allow entry to without a prior visa. The top 20 "most open" countries are all small island nations or African states, except for Cambodia. There are 13 completely open countries in the world that offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to all 198 passports in the world (not counting their own): Burundi, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Maldives, Micronesia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Samoa, Timor-Leste and Tuvalu.

At the bottom of the index, three countries score zero, permitting no visa-free access for any passport: Afghanistan, North Korea and Turkmenistan.

Sharjah and Dubai's rise of the millionaire

The company also released several other studies, including the 20 fastest-growing cities in the world for millionaires. Sharjah recorded a growth rate of 95 per cent, coming ninth on the list, while Dubai is 18th. They are the only cities in the Middle East to make it. The study says Sharjah has 4,100 millionaires and 11 people with a net worth of more than $100 million. While Dubai has 72,500 millionaires, 212 people with more than $100 million and 15 billionaires.

The research by global data intelligence firm New World Wealth ranks Shenzhen and Hangzhou in China first and second, with growth rates of 140 per cent and 125 per cent, respectively.

Bengaluru, which recorded a 110 per cent growth in millionaires between 2013 and 2023, is third; Austin and Guangzhou are joint fourth with a 110 per cent increase.

According to the data, the region with the most billionaires is, unsurprisingly, the Bay Area with 68, which is home to the US's tech epicentre Silicon Valley.