What it measures
The percentage of UNESCO World Heritage sites you can access without a pre-arranged visa. For every accessible country, we count its heritage sites and add them up as a share of the world total.
Italy alone has 59 UNESCO sites — more than any other country. A passport that opens Italy, France, Spain, and Greece unlocks a massive share of the world's cultural heritage, even if its GDP reach is middling.
Why it matters
Captures cultural reach that destination count and economic measures miss entirely. If travel is about history, architecture, and places worth seeing, this is the index that reflects it.
What it doesn't capture
- Every UNESCO site counts equally. The Pyramids of Giza and a small regional heritage site each add one point.
- Only UNESCO-listed sites count. Culturally significant places outside the UNESCO list are invisible to this index.
Where the data comes from
UNESCO World Heritage Centre site list, combined with passport accessibility per destination.
See it in action
Check the heritage score on any country page — Italy is one of the strongest examples, with the world's highest concentration of UNESCO sites.