India’s passport has continued to improve its global standing, climbing to the 75th spot on the world’s most powerful passports list, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
The country’s passport stood at the 85th spot last year, as per the data. The rise reflects improved travel access for Indians, as India gains greater visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to several destinations worldwide.
The Henley Passport Index periodically ranks different passports of nationalities across the world on the basis of the number of destinations the particular country’s citizens can visit on a visa-free basis.
Indian passport’s growth over the years
Overall, the Indian passport has become slightly stronger compared to last year, but its performance over a longer period has been quite uneven. While the recent improvement is a positive sign, India’s current position is still lower than where it stood about a decade ago.
In fact, India’s best-ever ranking in terms of passport strength was 71st, which was achieved in 2006. In recent years, the country slipped to 80th in 2024 and then further down to 85th the following year, highlighting how weak its travel access had become before the latest recovery.
As per the Henley Passport Index data, Indian citizens can now travel to 56 countries without a visa.
Top 10 countries with the strongest passports
— Singapore: The world’s strongest passport, ranking first with visa-free access to 192 destinations.
— Japan and South Korea: They jointly occupy the second spot, with access to 187 countries each.
— Sweden and the UAE: Both nations are tied for third place, allowing entry to 186 destinations across the world.
— European Nations: A large group of countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland, share the fourth position, with visa-free access to 185 countries.
— Austria, Greece, Malta and Portugal: These nations are ranked fifth with 184 destinations.
— Hungary, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia: Ranked sixth in the list, with visa-free access to 183 countries.
— Australia, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia and the UK: These nations collectively share the seventh rank with 182 destinations.
— Canada, Liechtenstein and Lithuania: Place eighth in the list of strong passports, with access to 181 countries.
— Iceland: Ranks ninth in the list, with visa-free access to 180 countries across the globe.
— United States: America rounds off the top 10 at the tenth spot, offering its citizens access to 179 countries.
