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When it comes to passports, people either view it as their gateway to the entire world or as a barrier to their travel freedom.
The Henley Passport Index provides an accurate measure of how much freedom a passport-holder of any particular country can enjoy in their quest to travel the world.
One of the most trusted indices – this index ranks passports according to the number of countries their holders can visit without applying for a visa.
This particular index collects its data from the International Air Transport Association and ranks 199 passports in total.
Here is India’s rank in Henley Passport Index for the last five years:
Year |
Passport rank |
Number of countries Indian passport holders can visit without a visa |
2023 |
85 |
59 |
2022 |
87 |
60 |
2021 |
90 |
60 |
2020 |
82 |
58 |
2019 |
82 |
59 |
As per this new ranking, Indian passport holders can enjoy visa-free travel to 59 countries from Oceania, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas and Africa.
As of now, the Indian passport ties in with Uzbekistan and Mauritania.
Disclaimer - This data was updated in January 2023.
The Global Passport Index, empowered by Arton Capital, boasts of being the original interactive passport ranking system in the world. It offers real-time updates pertaining to new visa changes and waivers.
With this index, individuals will be able to gauge their passport’s mobility score, which is calculated according to the visa on arrival, visa-free, eVisa and eTA privileges proffered by said passport.
The Global Passport Index rank for India for the last five years is as follows:
Year |
Passport rank |
Number of countries offering visa-free, and visa on arrival facilities. |
2023 |
71 |
Visa-free: 22 | Visa on arrival: 49 |
2022 |
66 |
Visa-free : 20 | Visa on arrival: 48 |
2021 |
73 |
Visa-free: 21 | Visa on arrival: 38 |
2020 |
48 |
Visa-free: 17 | Visa on arrival: 30 |
2019 |
71 |
Visa-free: 26 | Visa on arrival: 45 |
Currently, as per the Global Passport Index rankings, the Indian passport is tied with Uganda, Rwanda and Tajikistan passports.
Now that we have learned about India’s position in the passport rankings, let us also take a glance at the top ten most and least powerful passports in the world according to the two indices mentioned above.
Disclaimer - This data was updated in January 2023
Passport rank |
Henley Passport Index |
Global Passport Index |
1 |
Japan |
United Arab Emirates |
2 |
Singapore, South Korea |
Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France Italy, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, Switzerland |
3 |
Germany, Spain |
Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Ireland, UK, United States of America, New Zealand |
4 |
Finland, Italy, Luxembourg |
Greece, Hungary, Japan, Australia |
5 |
Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden |
Singapore, Malta, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia, Canada |
6 |
France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom |
Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia |
7 |
Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States |
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein |
8 |
Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta |
Cyprus, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria |
9 |
Hungary |
Malaysia |
10 |
Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia |
Monaco |
In 2023, as per the Henley Passport Index, Japan ranks first with visa-free access to 193 countries.
However, due to separate metrics implemented by the Global Passport Index, the rankings of this index differ from that of the Henley Passport Index.
As per the GPI, the passports of the United Arab Emirates offer its holders maximum mobility freedom worldwide.
Disclaimer - This data was updated in January 2023.
While visa-free travel is a luxury, there are a few passports that proffer their holders with limited access to such privileges.
Following is a table illustrating the rankings of the least powerful passports as per the Henley Passport Index and the Global Passport Index:
Henley Passport Index Rank |
Global Passport Index Rank |
||
112 - Afghanistan |
92 - Afghanistan |
||
111 - Iraq |
91 – Iraq, Syria |
||
110 - Syria |
90 – Somalia, Pakistan |
||
109 - Afghanistan |
95 - Afghanistan |
||
108 - Iraq |
94 – Syria |
||
107 - Syria |
93 – Iraq |
||
106 - Pakistan |
92 – Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan |
105 - Yemen |
91 - Bangladesh |
104 - Somalia |
90 – Libya, Palestinian Territories, North Korea, |
||
103 – Palestinian Territory, Nepal |
89 – Iran, Ethiopia, Eritrea |
||
102 – North Korea |
88 – Nigeria, South Sudan, Nepal |
||
101 – Libya, Kosovo, Bangladesh |
87 – Sri Lanka, Congo (DEM. REP.), Sudan |
||
100 – Sudan, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Congo (Dem. Rep.) |
86 – Kosovo |
As per the rankings determined by both these indices, Afghanistan passports allow travellers the least freedom in visa-free international travel.
To know more about Indian passport ranking in the world for 2024 and beyond, keep an eye on the above-mentioned indices.
Disclaimer - This data was updated in January 2022.