The Singapore passport has been named the most powerful passport in the world.
In the latest ranking released by the Henley Passport Index, the Indian passport is ranked 82nd, allowing Indians visa-free entry to 58 countries. The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which has the most extensive and accurate database of travel information worldwide. India’s current ranking puts it on par with countries like Senegal and Tajikistan.
The Singapore passport has been named the most powerful in the world, granting visa-free entry to 195 countries, according to the list. France, Italy, Germany and Spain are tied with Japan in second place, granting passport holders access to 192 countries, while Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea and Sweden come in third, each granting visa-free entry to 191 countries.
The UK is tied for fourth place with New Zealand, Norway, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland, while Australia and Portugal share fifth place, while the US, which has visa-free access to 186 countries, has dropped to eighth place.
The Indian passport is ranked 82nd on the list, allowing its citizens visa-free travel to 58 countries, including popular destinations like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Neighbouring Pakistan is placed at 100th position, giving its passport holders access to 33 countries. At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan, which offers easy access to 26 countries.
Most powerful passports for 2024:
- Singapore (195 destinations)
- France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain (192)
- Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden (191)
- Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190)
- Australia, Portugal (189)
- Greece, Poland (188)
- Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta (187)
- USA (186)
- Estonia, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates (185)
- Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (184)
Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, pointed to a widening global mobility gap between countries: “The average number of global destinations that travelers can access without a visa is nearly doubling, from 58 in 2006 to 111 by 2024. Yet the global mobility gap between the top and bottom of the index is now wider than ever before,” he said in a statement.
Best of all, for the past 19 years, the Henley Passport Index has used exclusive IATA data to track global freedoms in 227 countries and territories around the world. It has become the most popular interactive online tool to view, sort and rank the world’s passports, with real-time updates throughout the year as visa policy changes come into effect.