The Henley Passport Index has recently released a comprehensive list of the world’s most powerful passports. Singapore has overtaken Japan to take the first spot and India has jumped two spots to 82nd from last year’s 84th spot. Today we will find out based on these rankings – what makes a passport powerful and why is the Indian passport ranked so low?
What is the Henley Passport Index?
The Henley Passport Index is an original ranking of all passports in the world, based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and additional research from the research team at London-based immigration consultancy Henley & Partners.
What are the most powerful passports in the world?
Here are the top 10 passports, starting with Singapore in first place:
| No. | Name of the country | Number of countries reached |
| #1 | Singapore | 195 |
| #2 | France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain | 192 |
| #3 | Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden | 191 |
| #4 | Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom | 190 |
| #5 | Australia, Portugal | 189 |
| #6 | Greece, Poland | 188 |
| #7 | Canada, Czechia, Hungary, Malta | 187 |
| #8 | United States of america | 186 |
| #9 | Estonia, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates | 185 |
| #10 | Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia | 184 |
India ranking and countries you can travel with Indian passport
India has moved up two spots this year and is ranked 82nd instead of 84th last year. Indian passport holders can travel visa-free to the following 58 countries:
Angola, Barbados, Bhutan, Bolivia, British Virgin Islands, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Macau (SAR China), Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niue, Palau Islands, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.
On what basis is the ranking of passports decided?
According to Forbes India, the passport rankings are based on a number of factors. The 198 passports and 226 destinations are measured based on the number of countries a passport holder can visit without a visa, the country’s diplomatic relations with other countries and its international agreements.
In addition, according to Henley & Partners, countries with higher GDP per capita tend to have a higher number of visa-free destinations because richer countries attract more trade, tourism and investment which leads to more open borders. Additionally, domestic fragility is another factor to consider. Indicators of domestic fragility include violence (bombings, terrorist attacks, ethnic conflicts, organized crime), state legitimacy and internally displaced populations. Increased fragility negatively impacts the ease of travel.
Surprisingly, democracy has no significant relationship with passport strength compared to other factors. The UAE, a closed dictatorship, has a visa-free score of 185, while highly democratic countries such as Senegal and Tunisia have limited visa-free access.
While India’s passport ranking has improved to 82nd place, allowing visa-free travel to 58 countries, its relatively low ranking still highlights the broader issue of global mobility inequality within developed and developing nations.
