The Henley’s Passport Index has released its ranking of travel-friendly passports, with Japan and Singapore being the world’s most powerful passports, while India stands at the 90th spot. By Naina Atri
Since 2006, Henley & Partners, a leading residence and citizenship planning consultancy firm, has been compiling an index that ranks passports based on accessibility to destinations without prior visas, as detailed on their website. Using data from the International Air Transport Association, the London-based firm collates a ‘mobility’ report consisting of 199 countries, specifically their passports, and 277 travel destinations, to rank them in terms of the most and least powerful passports in the world.
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At the top are Japan and Singapore, both allowing its possessors access to 192 destinations without visas. On the other end of the spectrum are Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, which has the least mobile passport, having visa-free access to only 26 countries. India shares its 90th rank with Burkina Faso and Tajikistan, after having lost its erstwhile 84th rank, as reported by The Indian Express. According to the report, holders of the Indian passport have visa-free access to 58 countries.
The top 10 ranks of the world’s most powerful passports, most of which are shared, are dominated primarily by European countries. The list of the most powerful passports is as follows:
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- Japan, Singapore
- Germany, South Korea
- Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain
- Austria, Denmark
- France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden
- Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland
- Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway, the UK, the USA
- Australia, Canada
- Hungary
- Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia
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With travel regulations in a prevailing state of flux given the nature of the pandemic, the quarterly released report by Henley and Partners ranking the most powerful passports becomes all the more significant. According to Forbes, the report reflects the state of travel regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rigid border controls in the global north, especially against countries of the global south, contrasts sharply with the looser restrictions of developing countries. The media house reports that this contrast is the sharpest it has ever been in the years since the Passport Index was first compiled. Thus, for instance, while Germany’s passport grants holders access to 190 destinations, entry into Germany is stringent, with a list of 100 banned countries. However, the reverse is true for Afghanistan, with lesser mobility and easier entry.
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Naina Atri
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