The Estonian passport is the eighth most powerful passport in the world, granting visa-free access to 187 countries and territories, according to the 2024 global ranking of the Henley Passport Index.
In 2023, Estonia was ranked 12th, with its passport offering visa-free access to 181 countries and territories. The year before, the country was ranked tenth, with the same number of countries accessible.
In the 2024 ranking, Estonia shares its position with Lithuania. Latvia ranks ninth with visa-free access to 186 countries and Finland ranks second with visa-free access to 193 countries.
The most powerful passports in the world are held by citizens of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain – all of whom share the top spot in the rankings, with their passports giving visa-free access to 194 countries and territories.
The list is somewhat inflated
Finland, South Korea and Sweden come second (193 countries) and Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands third (192 countries).
However, the number of countries each passport gives visa-free access to is somewhat inflated, as it lists Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam as separate entities – even though they’re territories of the United States and their entry requirements are the same as the rest of the US.
The worst passports in the world are those of Afghanistan (104th, 28 countries), Syria (103rd, 29) and Iraq (102nd, 31).
The index, compiled annually by London-based global citizenship and residency consultants Henley & Partners, is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Association – known as IATA – and has been produced by the company since 2006. The index covers 199 different passports and 227 destinations.
