UAE Passport Tops List of Powerful Passports Globally for 2024

The UAE topped the list of powerful passports for 2024 in the Passport Index, which was unveiled by Montreal-based Arton Capital, a global citizenship financial advisory services firm.

The UAE topped the charts for the fourth successive year in a row, boasting an impressive mobility score of 180, allowing its citizens access to more than 90% of the world.

Following the UAE are the European countries which continue to dominate the Index, with 19 of the top 20 most powerful countries located in Europe. Spain overtook Germany to occupy second place, and Finland jumped ahead of countries like France and Italy to take the third place.

France has been ranked fourth which means it continues to hold the strongest passport of the G20 nations.

Kosovo is the standout rising nation this year, gaining an impressive 35 points in its mobility score. This rise is thanks to the country joining the Schengen zone at the start of the year. Across the Balkans, Bosnia & Herzegovina gained 3 points this year, moving them to 94^th place.

The UK continued to slide down the ranks, dropping 10 places from 22^nd to 32^nd though it had formally enjoyed a top 10 ranking as recently as 2017.

Asia & MENA

In Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan gained 3 points, steadily continuing their climb in the ranks year-on-year, at 114^th and 140^th position respectively.

Further east, South Korea lost its spot in the top 20, falling falling from 17^th place to 21^st. Despite this, South Korea’s passport remains the strongest in Asia, closely followed by Japan (25^th place) and Singapore (30^th place).

Conflict in the Middle East continued to negatively impact the mobility scores of the countries in the region, with governments tightening travel restrictions and visa issuances. Earlier this year, Schengen nations warned citizens against travelling to and from Israel and Palestine, while Israel temporarily stopped issuing visas to humanitarian workers.

US Passport Power Declines

The US saw its passport fall further in the Index, slipping to 38^th in 2024 from 27^th last year. The US held a top 20 ranking back in 2019.

With the Trump administration returning, it remains to be seen what steps the US will take to stop the downgrade of its once-great passport. Currently the weakest passport in the G7 group of nations, Trump’s incoming administration has all the motivations to make the US passport great again.

However, the American passport remains significantly more powerful than its great power competitor China, whose passport ranks just 110^th in the Index.

Hrant Boghossian, co-founder of the Passport Index, said that the World Openness Score remained flat this year – the post-COVID recovery jump they noticed in the past few years was truly over.

He said that unsurprisingly, European passports are overwhelmingly the best ranked, ahead of larger economies like the US and China. Nearly all countries in the Balkans experienced growth in their mobility this year, a positive trend in the region we hope will continue.

He said that geopolitical factors including elections and conflicts continue to influence global mobility. Despite this, they were still seeing countries collaborate and governments recognise the opportunities that visa-free agreements represent.

“Our unrivalled expertise as advisers to the world’s global citizens allows us to assist our clients as they navigate the complex landscape of global mobility. We offer them the unparalleled support and service they need to experience a seamless, global life,” Armand Arton, President and CEO of Arton Capital, added.