The Philippines has shown stability in the latest Henley Passport Index, reaffirming its consistent position in mobility, with particular strength in access around South East Asia.
According to the recent 2024 Henley Global Passport Index, the Philippine passport still ranks 73rd as compared to January of this year, giving access to 67 countries without applying for a visa.
Notably, the current Philippine passport ranking of 73 is still a significant improvement from last year’s ranking of 78.
“From 2015 until now, besides COVID-19, the general trend is up for the Philippines passport ranking. The Philippines is viewed as quite stable right now, and as the Philippine economy continues to grow, it should continue to see improvements on the passport’s visa-free access,” explained Scott Moore, Managing Director of Henley & Partners.
Referencing the Philippines’ latest performance, he explained the correlations between economic growth and visa-free access, pointing out that Henley & Partners’ 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.”
The latest report highlights a growing gap between the most and least powerful passports, with top-ranked Singapore able to access 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan, which remains the weakest passport with access to only 26 countries.
Singapore breaks away from the peloton of six countries that shared the top spot on the Henley Passport Index, 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 on 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”.
With cutting-edge expert commentary and historical data spanning over 19 years, the Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
Created by Kaelin, the ranking is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information, and it is enhanced by extensive, ongoing research by the Henley & Partners Research Department, the global leader in residence and citizenship by investment.
