Indian Passport Is Now Less Powerful; Loses 6 Spots In Global Ranking

The Henley Passport Index has revealed that India has slipped by six places from last year to 90. This Index lists the world’s most travel-friendly passports.

Henley & Partners has come out with a passport index based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Let’s look at the ten most powerful and the ten least powerful passports as per the Henley Passport Index!

India Slips By 6 Positions In World’s Most Travel-friendly Passports

Travel rules are now being relaxed for international visitors after a whole two years; they were put in place at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The passports of countries are ranked according to the number of destinations their holders can visit without a prior visa. India has sunk by 6 places this year as compared to that of last year. We had reported last year that India’s rank has dropped from 82nd spot in 2019 to 84th in 2020.

India shares its place with Tajikistan and Burkina Faso.

With an Indian passport, one can travel visa-free to 58 destinations like Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Macao, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Iran and Qatar. However, you might require visa-on-arrival in some countries.

Japan and Singapore have emerged at the top of the list as their passports allow people to travel visa-free to 192 countries. South Korea and Germany together stand on the second position.

The passports of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen are among the least powerful.

World’s 10 Most Powerful And Least Powerful Passports

World’s 10 most powerful passports:

1. Japan, Singapore (Score:192)

2. Germany, South Korea (Score: 190)

3. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain (Score: 189)

4. Austria, Denmark (Score: 188)

5. France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden (Score: 187)

6. Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland (Score: 186)

7. Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway, United Kingdom, United States (Score: 185)

8. Australia, Canada (Score: 184)

9. Hungary (Score: 183)

10. Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia (Score: 182)

World’s 10 least powerful passports:

1. Iran, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Sudan (Score:41)

2. Bangladesh, Kosovo, Libya (Score: 40)

3. North Korea (Score: 39)

4. Nepal, Palestinian Territory (Score: 37)

5. Somalia (Score: 34)

6. Yemen (Score: 33)

7. Pakistan (Score: 31)

8. Syria (Score: 29)

9. Iraq (Score: 28)

10. Afghanistan (Score: 26)