The UAE passport has made a remarkable jump, now ranking 11th on Henley & Partner’s 2024 Passport Index. With the increase in standing, the passport enjoys significantly enhanced visa-free access to 183 countries around the world. More impressively, the UAE has been the biggest mover on the Index over the past decade, making impressive leap of 44 slots, from 55th to now 11th position, adding an additional number of countries with visa-free access.
The UAE remains a regional leader with this position among countries like Qatar (53), Kuwait (55), Bahrain (59), Oman (60) and Saudi Arabia (61). These countries also have varying levels of visa-free travel to a number of other nations. On the other hand, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen fall at the bottom of the Index.
UAE’s Passport Ranking for the Past Decade
| YEAR | RANKING |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2023 | 13 |
| 2022 | 15 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2020 | 18 |
| 2019 | 15 |
| 2018 | 21 |
| 2017 | 38 |
| 2016 | 38 |
| 2015 | 42 |
| 2014 | 55 |
Countries such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain now rank amongst the most powerful passports on the global scale along with countries like Japan and Singapore. 194 destinations across the globe are accessible by citizens of these countries without visa restrictions.
This highlights the changing nature of international mobility, as the average number of visa-free destinations nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024.
