World’s Most Powerful Passports Revealed: Know Where India Ranks

by Ritu Versha 4 years ago Views 1476

world's most powerful passport
Residents of Japan and Singapore possess the world’s most powerful passport, a new report has revealed, while India ranks 82nd, way behind countries like Sierra Leone, Mongolia, Armenia and Morocco.

The quarterly ranking by Henley & Partners, a citizenship and planning firm, takes into account how many destinations can be visited, either visa-free or by only needing to get a visa on arrival (rather than in advance). Indian passport holders can visit 59 countries (up from 58 in the second quarter of 2019). In 2013, India’s rank hit a decadal high of 74. Between 2014 and 2015, India slipped 12 places, from 76 to 88. 


The two Asian countries, Japan and Singapore, both offer access to 190 out of a possible 218. With a score of 184, the UK and the US remain in joint 6th place - the lowest position either country has held since 2010 and a significant drop from their 1st-place ranking in 2014.

Afghanistan holds the bottom spot, with only 25 destinations accessible visa-free to their citizens, followed by Iraq (27), Syria (29), Somalia (31) and Pakistan (31).

The Henley Passport Index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.

The best passports to hold in 2019 are:

1. Japan, Singapore (190 destinations)

2. Finland, Germany, South Korea (188)

3. Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg (187)

4. France, Spain, Sweden (186)

5. Austria, Netherlands, Portugal (185)

6. Belgium, Canada, Greece, Ireland, Norway, United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland (184)

7. Malta, Czech Republic (183)

8. New Zealand (182)

9. Australia, Lithuania, Slovakia (181)

10. Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Slovenia (180)

The worst passports to hold

Several countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to fewer than 40 countries. These include:

100. Lebanon, North Korea (39 destinations)

101. Nepal (38)

102. Libya, Palestinian Territory, Sudan (37)

103. Yemen (33)

104. Somalia, Pakistan (31)

105. Syria (29)

106. Iraq (27)

107. Afghanistan (25)

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