According to the “Henley Passport Index 2022” released by Henley & Partners, an immigration consultancy based in London, United Kingdom(UK), India’s passport ranked number 87 and grants visa-free access to 60 countries, including Macau, Bhutan, Nepal, and Indonesia. Japan has topped the index followed by Singapore and South Korea in the 2nd rank.
- The Japanese passport, the world’s most powerful passport, grants hassle-free access into 193 countries.
- The Second place is shared by Singapore and South Korea with access to 192 nations.
- This is a shift from the pre-pandemic ranks, which were dominated by European countries.
India, along with Mauritania and Tajikistan, has been ranked 87th ranked and grants visa-free access to 60 countries.
Significance: The passport index measures the strength of diplomatic relations between two countries; simply, the higher a country’s ranking, the more “ease of access” it has to other countries.
Henley Passport Index
i. The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports based on the number of visa-free destinations to which their holders have access.
ii.The index, which ranks the “strongest” and “weakest” 199 passports, is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the largest and most reliable source of travel-related information.
iii. The index uses 17 years of data and aids both individuals and governments in assessing the value of citizenship globally based on which passports provide the greatest amounts of visa-free or visa-on-arrival access.
Key Facts:
i. China along with Bolivia has been ranked 69th with access to 80 countries, while Afghanistan’s passport is the least useful, granting entry to only 27 nations.
ii.Russian travel documents rank 50th, granting easy entry to 119 countries.
iii. Germany now falls behind South Korea after Europe’s dominance gradually diminished.
iv.The UK, along with France, Ireland, and Portugal, is ranked sixth with access to 187 countries, while the United States (US) is ranked seventh with access to 186 countries.
v.Asian destinations with ‘visa-on-arrival’ access for Indians include Thailand, Indonesia, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.
- Additionally, Indian nationals may obtain visas upon arrival in 21 African nations. Only two European countries have done the same.
vi.As recently as 2017, Asian countries hardly ranked among the world’s top ten most-accepted passports.
Table Showing the Top 5 Countries
| Rank | Name of Country | Visa-free score |
|---|---|---|
| 87 | India, Mauritania Tajikistan | 60 |
| 1 | Japan | 193 |
| 2 | Singapore, South Korea | 192 |
| 3 | Germany, Spain | 190 |
| 4 | Finland, Italy, Luxembourg | 189 |
| 5 | Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden | 188 |
Pakistani Passport Ranked Fourth-Worst in The World
According to the Henley Passport Index 2022, Pakistan’s passport is the fourth-worst in the world, one rank below Yemen and three ranks above Syria(110), Iraq(111) and Afghanistan(112).
- This places the Pakistani passport among the worst in the world once again.
- Pakistan’s travel document is ranked 109th on the index and only grants free access to 32 countries.
GoI Data on Indians Renouncing Citizenship
- The most recent Government of India (GoI) data indicates that in 2021, 1,63,370 Indians gave up their citizenship in order to acquire citizenship in other nations.
- Most Indians transferred their citizenship to the United States (78,284), followed by Australia (23,533), Canada (21,597) and the UK (14,637).
About Japan:
Prime Minister – Fumio Kishida
Capital– Tokyo
Currency– Japanese Yen
