6 countries have most ‘powerful’ passports; find out India’s rank on index
China and Ukraine are among the top five countries with the most improved rankings over 10 years but the biggest climber on Henley Passport Index has been UAE
The world is getting smaller indeed, in several ways. As many as six nations — France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain — now boast visa-free access to a whopping 194 destinations out of 227 around the globe, making their passports the most powerful, says the latest Henley Passport Index.
For five years, Japan and Singapore hogged the top spot on the rankings, which are based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). However, this time, the four European giants have caught up with them.
South Korea shares the second place on the rankings with Finland and Sweden. The trio enjoys visa-free access to 193 destinations. In third place are Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands, enjoying visa-free access to 192 destinations.
India and neighbours
European countries largely dominate the rest of the top 10, with the UK in the fourth place, enjoying visa-free access to 191 destinations. Australia and New Zealand occupy the sixth place, with visa-free access to 189 destinations. The US is in seventh place, with access to 188 destinations without a visa. A decade ago, the UK and the US jointly held first place on the index.
India is placed in the 80th spot, with its passport allowed visa-free access to 62 countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Among neighbours, Sri Lanka is in 96th position, Bangladesh is 97th, while Pakistan occupies the 101st position on the list, fourth from the bottom. China holds 62nd rank, with access to 85 visa-free destinations.
In fact, China and Ukraine are among the top five countries with the most improved rankings over the past 10 years. Russia sits in 51st place with access to 119 destinations. The biggest climber has been UAE, adding 106 destinations to its visa-free list since 2014, and currently sitting in the 11th position.
Widening gap
Christian H Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the architect of the passport index, pointed out that the general trend of the 19-year-old rankings points at greater travel freedom. Yet, the mobility gap between the countries at the top and the bottom of the index is now wider than ever.
“The average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” he said. “However, … the top-ranked countries are now able to travel to a staggering 166 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan, which sits at the bottom of the ranking with access to just 28 countries without a visa,” he added.
Just a notch above Afghanistan is Syria, with visa-free access to only 29 destinations. Next from the bottom up is Iraq with 31 visa-free destinations.
