World's most powerful passports: India slips 5 spots; here are top 10

The strength of India’s passport has dropped five places in the latest Henley Passport Index that is updated monthly.

As per the global ranking of 199 different passports in January 2025, India is at the 85th spot. In 2024, India was ranked at 84th.

Also read: Henley Passport Index 2023 list

Singapore occupies the top position in the Henley Passport Index. Japan is in the second place.

India's visa-free score

The strength of a passport is determined by the total number of destinations for which you do not require a visa. Singapore has a visa-free score of 195 out of 227 travel destinations while it is 193 for Japan.

Indian passport holders can travel to 57 destinations without a visa, as per the Henley Passport Index. India shares the 85th ranking with Equatorial Guinea and Niger.

India's highest position

The highest position India had reached was in 2006 when its passport was ranked 71st.

Also read: Henley Passport Index 2024 list

The last-ranked country at 106 on the list is Afghanistan with a visa-free score of 26. India’s neighbour Pakistan is at 103 with a visa-free score of 33.

“For each travel destination, if no visa is required for passport holders from a country or territory, then a score with value = 1 is created for that passport. A score with value = 1 is also applied if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination. These visa-types require no pre-departure government approval, because of the specific visa-waiver programs in place,” Henley & Partners said while explaining the methodology used to rank passports.

Also read: Henley Passport Index 2022 list

The Henley Passport Index 2025 Global Ranking

1. Singapore (Visa-free score – 195)

2. Japan (193)

3. Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain (192)

4. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden (191)

5. Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190)

6. Australia, Greece (189)

7. Canada, Malta, Poland (188)

8. Czechia, Hungary (187)

9. Estonia, United States of America (186)

10. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates (185)

India's historical ranking on Henley Passport Index (Last 10 years)

2015 - 88th

2016 - 85th

2017 - 87th

2018 - 81st

2019 - 82nd

2020 - 82nd

2021 - 90th

2022 - 83rd

2023 - 84th

2024 - 80th