United Arab Emirates (UAE) passport has emerged as the most powerful passport in the world, according to recent data from Passport Index.
Passport Index gives mobility scores to the countries as per the visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations. UAE has secured 181 in mobility score, making it the highest worldwide.
UAE nationals can travel to 123 countries visa-free, 58 countries with a visa-on-arrival, and 17 countries with a visa-in-advance. With a global coverage of 91%, Emirates is recognized as the most dominant worldwide.
Here’s the table showing the top ten most powerful passports in the world, according to Passport Index:
| Rank | Passport | Mobility Score |
| 1. | UAE | 181 |
| 2. | Sweden, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, and Austria | 174 |
| 3. | Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Poland, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, and US | 173 |
| 4. | Czech Republic, Greece, Lithuania, Hungary, Japan, Canada, and Australia | 172 |
| 5. | Singapore, Malta, and Slovakia | 171 |
| 6. | Estonia, Latvia, and Slovenia | 170 |
| 7. | Iceland and Liechtenstein | 169 |
| 8. | Cyprus, Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria | 168 |
| 9. | Malaysia | 167 |
| 10. | Monaco | 165 |
The 9 spots after UAE are mostly dominated by European countries. After 2019, UAE’s mobility score dropped from 179 to 90 due to the pandemic. However, it climbed up after easing travel restrictions. It reached 170 in mobility score in 2020, 160 in 2021, and 181 in 2022 and 2023.
Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, and Bangladesh are all at the bottom of the list.
