Education

Canadian Passport Now More Desirable Than An American One

Published on August 5, 2024

The Canadian passport is the seventh most desirable travel document in the world, ranking higher than that of the United States by allowing visa-free access to 187 destinations.

Late last year, the Canadian passport rose from the eighth spot to seventh and has held onto that position in the rankings.

Since then, though, Canadian passport holders have gained the ability to visit an additional two countries without the need to get a visa.

And, as a matter of national pride, the Canadian passport is now ranked higher than the American one.

“The United States has slipped to eighth spot; last year, it occupied the seventh position,” notes the Henley Passport Index rankings.

“This is the first time Canada’s passport has ranked higher than the U.S.’s in years. The two countries’ passports tied for sixth place in 2019, but before and after that, Canada ranked lower than the U.S. In 2014, the US shared the top spot with the United Kingdom.”

Singapore holds the title of the world’s most powerful passport in the latest ranking published on the Henley Passport Index, published by London-based immigration consultancy–Henley & Partners.

A Singapore passport comes with visa-free entry to a record 195 global destinations.

The Henley Passport Index uses the data from the International Air Transport Association to rank 199 passports’ access to 227 travel destinations.

In the latest rankings, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain dropped to second 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 — in third place.

The UK has hung onto fourth 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 eighth spot, with access to 186 destinations visa-free.

With the latest rankings, the United Arab Emirates made it into the Top 10 for the first time, having added an impressive 152 destinations since the index’s inception in 2006 to achieve its current visa-free score of 185, and rising a remarkable 53 places in the ranking from 62nd to ninth position in the process.

China and India’s Passports Have Climbed Most Over Past Decade

India’s passport ranked 82nd on the list, with citizens allowed to travel to 58 countries without a visa, including popular destinations like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

“China and Ukraine are among the Top 10 countries that have climbed the highest in the ranking over the past decade,” notes Henley.

“Since 2014, China has jumped up 24 places from 83rd to 59th (with access to 85 destinations visa-free), while Ukraine has advanced by 23 spots, from 53rd to 30th, with its nationals able to visit 148 destinations without a prior visa.

“Russia, on the other hand, has fallen seven places over the past 10 years, from 38th to 45th position with visa-free access to just 116 destinations.”

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chair 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

Those countries to which Canadian passport holders can travel visa-free, including those that require a visa only upon arrival, are: