Singapore at #1, India at #82: How the Henley Passport Index decides the World's Most Powerful Passport

The Henley Passport Index recently released a comprehensive list of the most powerful passports in the world. Singapore dethroned Japan as #1 and India moved two points above, standing at 82nd instead of last year's 84th position. Today we will explore the basis of these rankings — what makes a passport powerful and why does the Indian passport rank so low?

What is the Henley Passport Index?

The Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world's passports based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and additional research from the Henley & Partners’ research team, a London-based immigration consultancy.

What are the world's most powerful passports?

Starting with Singapore at #1, the top 10 passports are:

India's ranking and the countries you can travel to with an Indian passport

India moved two points above this year, standing at 82nd instead of last year's 84th position. An Indian passport holder can travel to the following 58 countries visa-free:

Angola, Barbados, Bhutan, Bolivia, the British Virgin Islands, Burundi, Cambodia, the Cape Verde Islands, the Comoro Islands, the Cook Islands, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Macao (SAR China), Madagascar, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niue, the Palau Islands, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.

What is the ranking of passports based on?

The ranking of passports is based on several factors according to Forbes India. 198 passports and 226 destinations are measured using the number of countries the passport holder can access without a visa, the country's diplomatic relations with other countries, and its international agreements.

Furthermore, according to Henley & Partners, countries with higher GDP per capita enjoy more visa-free destinations since wealthier countries attract more trade, tourism, and investment which leads to more open borders. Additionally, domestic fragility is another aspect to consider. Indicators of domestic fragility include violence (bombings, terrorist attacks, ethnic conflict, organized crime), state legitimacy, and internally displaced populations. Increased fragility affects the ease of travel negatively. 

Surprisingly, democracy does not strongly correlate with passport strength compared to other factors. UAE, a closed autocracy, has a high visa-free score of 185 while highly democratic countries like Senegal and Tunisia have limited visa-free access. 

While India's passport ranking has improved to #82, allowing visa-free travel to 58 countries, it's relatively low rank highlights the broader issue of global mobility inequality within developed and developing countries. 

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