According to the Henley Passport Index 2024 July Global Ranking ,India’s rank has dropped from 80th position (in January 2024) to 82nd position by providing visa free or visas on arrival access to 58 countries.
- India has been placed at 82nd position along with Senegal and Tajikistan.
- Singapore has again topped the global rankings of the most powerful passports in the world as it provides visa-free entry to 195 countries.
Note: In January 2024 rankings, Singapore shared the top spot along with Japan, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
About Henley Passport Index 2024 July Global Ranking:
i.The Henley Passport Index is a collaboration between Henley & Partners, London, the United Kingdom(UK) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Montreal, Canada.
- For the last 19 years, Henley Passport Index compares the visa-free access to 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations.
ii.The rankings are based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and is evaluated on the basis of the total number of destinations that its holders can travel visa-free.
- According to IATA, airlines will connect nearly 5 billion people over 22,000 routes on 39 million flights in 2024, and the air cargo transported will reach 62 million tons, facilitating an USD 8.3 trillion in trade.
iii.The global average number of destinations travelers which can access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 (in 2006) to 111 (in 2024).
List of Top 3 and Bottom 3 Passports:
| Top 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Countries | Rank | Access to Nations |
| Singapore | 1st | 195 |
| France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Japan | 2nd | 192 |
| Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea and Sweden | 3rd | 191 |
| India’s Rank Tie | ||
| India, Senegal and Tajikistan | 82nd | 58 |
| Bottom 3 | ||
| Afghanistan | 103rd | 26 |
| Syria | 102nd | 28 |
| Iraq | 101st | 31 |
India-Specific:
i.India saw a decrease in access to visa-free countries or destinations from 62 countries to 58 countries.
ii.Indian citizens can travel visa-free to countries like: Angola, Barbados, Bhutan, Bolivia, British Virgin Islands, Burundi, Nepal, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Thailand, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Jordan, among others.
Key Highlights:
i.As per the latest rankings, total 34 countries features in the top 10 most powerful passports in the world.
ii.Total 5 countries share the 2nd spot: France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Japan and have visa-free access to 192 countries.
- All these countries saw a drop in their ranking from 1st to 2nd spot.
iii.For the 1st time, 7 countries shares the 3rd position on the index: Austria, Finland, Luxembourg , the Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden. These countries have visa-free access to 191 countries.
iv.The United Kingdom (UK), New Zealand, Norway, Belgium , Denmark and Switzerland share the 4th spot on the index and have visa-free access to 190 countries.
- While, 5th spot is shared between two countries: Australia and Portugal which provides its visa-free access to 189 countries.
v.The rankings of the United States of America (USA) has been consistently declining on the index, dropping from 7th (in January 2024) to 8th spot with visa-free access to 186 countries.
Note: The USA and the UK both shared 1st rank on the index in 2014.
vi.The world’s weakest passports globally is of Afghanistan at 103rd rank with access to only 26 countries (drop from 28 countries).
- It is followed by Syria (102nd) and Iraq (101st) with access to 28 countries and 31 countries respectively.
vii.For the 1st time, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) made its way to the top 10 as it has remarkably improved its rank from 62nd to 9th position. It has visa-free access to 185 countries.
- Other than the UAE, countries which improved its ranking: Ukraine from 53rd to 30th spot, with access to 148 destinations and China to 59th spot.
Performance of Neighbouring Countries of India:
i.Pakistan ranked at 100th spot for the 4th consecutive year in a row, with access to only 33 countries. It shares this rank with Yemen.
ii.India’s Maritime neighbor, Maldives is ranked at 58th spot, with visa-free access to 96 countries.
iii.China has significantly improved its ranking from 83rd to 59th spot , providing access to 85 countries.
About Henley & Partners:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Dr. Juerg Steffen
Headquarters- London, the UK
Establishment- 1997
