India’s passport has been placed 82nd in the latest ranking released by the Henley Passport Index, allowing Indians visa-free entry to 58 countries. The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the most comprehensive and accurate database of travel information worldwide. India’s current ranking is at par with countries like Senegal and Tajikistan.
According to the list, Singapore’s passport has been deemed the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 195 countries. France, Italy, Germany and Spain are tied for second place with Japan, offering passport holders access to 192 countries. Then, in third place in the ranking, Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea and Sweden all have visa-free access to 191 destinations.
The United Kingdom is in fourth place, followed by New Zealand, Norway, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland. Australia and Portugal are tied for fifth, while the United States has slipped to eighth place, with visa-free access to 186 countries.
India’s passport ranks 82 on the list, with its citizens allowed to travel to 58 countries without a visa, including popular destinations such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Neighbouring Pakistan ranks 100th, with its passport holders granted access to 33 countries. At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan, which has easy access to 26 destinations.
Most Powerful Passport for 2024:
- Singapore (195 destinations)
- France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain (192)
- Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden (191)
- Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190)
- Australia, Portugal (189)
- Greece, Poland (188)
- Canada, Czechia, Hungary, Malta (187)
- United States (186)
- Estonia, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates (185)
- Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (184)
Christian Kalin, chairman of Henley & Partners, highlighted the growing global mobility gap between countries. “The average number of destinations to which travellers can access visa-free globally is set to almost double from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, the global mobility gap between the countries at the top and bottom of the index is now larger than ever,” he said in a statement.
Notably, for the past 19 years, the Henley Passport Index has been tracking global freedom in 227 countries and territories around the world using exclusive data from IATA. It has become the most popular interactive online tool to display, sort and rank the world’s passports. It is updated in real-time throughout the year, whenever visa policy changes are implemented.
