16-Jan-2020: Henley Passport Index 2020
Henley Passport Index provides a 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 access without a prior visa.
This particular index collects its data from the International Air Transport Association and ranks 199 passports in total.
India’s rank in Henley Passport Index as in the years 2018, 2019 and 2020:
|
Year |
Passport rank |
Number of countries Indian passport holders can visit without a visa |
|
2020 |
85 |
58 |
|
2019 |
82 |
59 |
|
2018 |
81 |
60 |
As per this new ranking, Indian passport holders can enjoy visa-free travel to 58 countries including Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Mauritius, etc. The Indian passport ties its rank with Tajikistan and Mauritania.
Japan has the world’s strongest passport whereas Afghanistan (107th rank) has the weakest. Japan has been topping the Index for three years continuously. Singapore, in second place (same as in 2019) followed by Germany and South Korea both shares the third position in the index.
Serbia is the only European country to which Indian passport holders can travel visa-free. There is no major or developed country to which Indian passport holders have visa-free access.
The USA and the UK both countries are in eighth place in 2020; a significant decline from the rank 1 they jointly held in 2015.
The top 10 most powerful passports for 2020 are Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Finland, Spain, USA and UK, Luxembourg, Denmark.
The Henley Passport Index was launched in 2006 with the aim of providing a global picture of freedom of travelling.
4-Jul-2019: Henley Passport Index 2019
Henley Passport Index 2019 has been released. The Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.
India is ranked at 86 with a mobility score of 58. India’s rank has improved from the earlier position of 79th in January 2019. The score points out that Indian passport holders can access 58 countries around the world without a prior visa. India shares the 86th position with Mauritania and Sao Tome and Principe.
Asian countries dominate the rankings with Japan and Singapore holding onto the top spot with a score of 189, after they unseated Germany from its first position at the beginning of 2018. With a few notable exceptions, the latest rankings from the Henley Passport Index show that countries around the world increasingly view visa openness as crucial to economic and social progress. Afghanistan at 109th is last on the list with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of just 25.
Background: The Henley Passport Index (HPI) is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom for their citizens. It started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI) and was modified and renamed in January 2018.
The HPI consists of a ranking of passports according to how many other territories can be reached ‘visa free’. All distinct destination countries and territories in the IATA database are considered.