The power of the Indian passport is sinking, and which was once at 75th place, is now at a poor 86th place. This ranking is as per the Henley Passport Index, which calculates the strength of the passports of the countries in the world.
Japan and Singapore are at the top of the list, whereas, UAE has emerged a star, by jumping 20 places in the last ten years, and made it to the top twenty list of the passport index.
What is the other countries’ status in the passport strength index of 2019? Read on and find out all about it!
Henley Passport Index 2019
The Henley Passport Index is a quarterly assessment of the strengths of passports of the countries in the world. The strength of each passport is determined by the number of countries that a passport holder can enter on a no visa or a visa on arrival basis.
The report says that the index is a reliable source for measuring the strengths of passports, saying, “With expert commentary and historical data spanning 14 years, the Henley Passport Index is an invaluable resource for global citizens and the standard reference tool for governments in this field.”
This index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, and these travel destinations include micro-states and territories. All these passports are then given a score depending on the number of countries each passport holder is allowed to enter into, on a visa-free or a visa on arrival basis.
The score is zero if a passport holder has to get a visa or an e-visa (a government-approved electronic visa) before his departure.
India Stands At 86th Position; Still Ahead of Pakistan, Egypt, and Iraq
As per the report, Japan and Singapore are at the top of the list with a score of 189, followed by Finland, Germany and South Korea at the second position with a score of 187.
India’s passport power has sunk down to the 86th position, which was 81 previously. India stands with Mauritania, and Sao Tome and Principe. The plus side to this is that we are still ahead of Pakistan, which stands on the 106th position, and other countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, etc.
Afghanistan stands last on the list, with a score of 25.
Here is a list of the top ten countries with strong passports:
- Japan, Singapore – 189
- Finland, Germany, South Korea – 187
- Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg – 186
- Spain, Sweden, France 185
- Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland – 184
- Canada, Greece, Ireland, Norway, United Kingdom, United States, Belgium – 183
- Malta – 182
- Czech Republic – 181
- Iceland, Lithuania, New Zealand, Australia – 180
- Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia – 179