As per the ‘Henley Passport Index: Q1 2022 Global Ranking’, released by Henley & Partners, India has been ranked as 84th Most Powerful Passport (with the visa-free score – 60). India’s ranking has improved by 7 places from 90th in Q4 2021.
- The index has been topped by Japan and Singapore as they allow visa-free travel to 192 countries to their passport holders. Notably, this is the 4th consecutive year that Japan has been in the top spot.
Key Points:
i.Visa Free Score:
- Under the index, a passport’s strength is measured by the Visa-free score i.e. the number of countries its holders can visit without requiring a prior visa.
- India ranked 84 as it allows its passport holders to travel to 60 countries without the need for a prior visa.
- In 2021, the visa-free score of India was reported to be 58 (now 60 with Oman and Armenia being the latest additions). India has added 35 more destinations since 2006.
ii.India shares the 84th position with Mauritania & Tajikistan.
iii.Henley Passport Index: Q1 2022 Global Ranking:
| Rank | Country | Visa-free score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84 | India; Mauritania & Tajikistan | 60 | ||
| Top 3 | 1 | Japan; Singapore | 192 | |
| 2 | Germany; South Korea | 190 | ||
| 3 | Finland; Italy; Luxembourg; Spain | 189 | ||
| Bottom 3 | 109 | Syria | 29 | |
| 110 | Iraq | 28 | ||
| 111 | Afghanistan | 26 | ||
About the Index:
i.The index and its contents are based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). It includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.
iii.Disparity: A statement by Henley and Partners said that in 2006 an individual could, on average, visit 57 countries visa-free. Currently, that number has risen to 107, but this overall increase marks a growing disparity between countries in the global north and those in the global south.
Recent Related News:
As per the Global Unicorn Index 2021 report released by the Hurun Research Institute India ranked at 3rd (by adding 33 ‘unicorns’ in 2020) by displacing the United Kingdom (UK) to the 4th spot. In 2020, India ranked at the 4th spot.
About Henley & Partners:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Juerg Steffen
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom
