According to the Henley Passport Index 2023 (3rd quarter) released by Henley & Partners, a London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm, India ranked 80th by providing visa-free or visas on arrival access to 57 countries.
- India ranked 87th in Henley Passport Index 2022.
- Singapore is the world’s most powerful passport with visa-free access to 192 travel destinations out of 227 worldwide.
The top 5:
i.Singapore increased its score by 25, pushing it five places up the ranking over the past 10 years to 1st position.
ii.The 2nd place is shared by 3 European countries Germany, Italy, and Spain with 190 visa-free destinations
iii.Japan, which held the top position for five consecutive years, dropped to 3rd place as the number of visa-free destinations for its passport holders decreased to 189.
- It shares its position with Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden.
iv.The United Kingdom, claimed 4th place(a position it last held in 2017) by rising 2 spots.
- It shares its position with Denmark, Ireland and Netherland.
v.The 5th position is held by Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland with visa-free access to 187 countries.
| Country | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 1st | 192 |
| Germany, Italy, and Spain | 2nd | 190 |
| Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden
| 3rd | 189
|
| Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom | 4th | 188 |
| Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland | 5th | 187 |
Note: The United States(US), which once topped the ranking nearly a decade ago, slid two places to eighth place.
The least in the index:
Afghanistan with a score of 27, Iraq 29 and Syria 30 stands at the bottom of the ranking, rounding out the three weakest passports in the world.
| Country | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 103rd | 27 |
| Iraq | 102nd | 29 |
| Syria | 101st | 30 |
India’s rank ties with:
India’s current rank ties it with countries like Togo and Senegal.
| Country | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| India | 80th | 57 |
| Togo | 80th | 57 |
| Senegal | 80th | 57 |
- Indian passport holders still need a visa to enter 177 destinations across the world including China, Japan, Russia, the United States, and the entire European Union.
HPI rankings:
i.The strength of the passports is evaluated on the basis of the total number of destinations that its holders can travel visa-free.
ii.Henley’s Passport Index ranking tracks data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) updating the report every quarter.
Henley Openness Index 2023:
The Henley Openness Index (HOI) ranks all 199 countries and territories worldwide according to the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa.
- India ranks 94th by scoring 4.
The HOI is a reverse calculation of the HPI, and is based on the data from the IATA.
About Henley & Partners:
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Dr. Juerg Steffen
Headquarters- London, United Kingdom(UK)
Established- 1997
