In the international ranking of the passport index, the Ukrainian passport took 32nd position and entered the top five countries that showed the greatest improvements in position over the past 10 years.
Citizens of Ukraine can travel without a visa to 148 countries or obtain one upon arrival, it says on the Henley&Partners website. In company noted:
“Ukraine is one of the top 5 countries with the largest improvement in ranking over the past 10 years (net overall increase of 21 positions). It has risen two more positions over the past year.”
Ukraine shares its place in the ranking, 32nd position, with Grenada and Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. The first place is shared by Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain. Citizens of these states can move freely throughout 194 countries of the world.
The rating of the Russian Federation has remained virtually unchanged since 2017 – it ranks 51st with access to 119 destinations. Afghanistan takes last place – people with a passport from this country can travel to only 28 countries.
The Henley&Partners Passport Index analyzes visa regulations for 227 countries and territories around the world on a quarterly basis, ranking them by the number of visa-free countries. The rating, based on data from the tourist information database, has been compiled for more than ten years.
Dr Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and inventor of the passport index concept, says that while the overall trend over the 19-year history of the ranking has been towards greater freedom of movement, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider , than ever. “The average number of destinations travelers can access without a visa has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. Entering the new year, top-rated countries can now travel to an additional 166 countries.”
The position of each country in the ranking depends on the number of states into which its citizens can enter without first obtaining a visa – without it or with a visa on arrival. Residents of all these countries have biometric passports, and they are the ones who participate in the ranking.
It is worth noting that there are several passport ratings – they have their own criteria and distribution of countries. For example, in the world ranking of Ukrainian foreign passports, it took 30th place in 2023. Thanks to a biometric document, Ukrainian citizens can visit 93 countries without visas.
Based on the latest expert commentary and 19 years of historical data, the Henley Passport Index is an initial ranking of all the world’s passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. Originally created by Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, the rankings are based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate travel information database, and is supplemented by extensive, ongoing data from Henley & Partners’ research department. Along with the Kelin-Kochenov National Quality Index, it is considered the main reference tool for global citizens and the standard benchmark for government policy in this area.
Our publication previously reported that Greek passport is in 25th place in the world index with an indicator of 87.98. Greeks have passport-free access to 103 countries, and are allowed to enter a further 41 countries without a visa. The Greek passport allows its holders to enter with travel authorization into 10 countries, with a visa on arrival into 29 countries, and into a further 23 countries with an e-visa.
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