Indian Passport Rank in Global & Henley Passport Index

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All abut Indian Passport Ranking & Strength in the World

Most of the popular passport indices have published their rankings for the year 2020 and avid-travellers are scrambling to find out how India has fared in them!

While current circumstances might not favour international travelling, knowing the Indian passport rank is certainly an important affair for those who have to frequently visit other countries – be it for business or leisure.

Here, we will inform you about the passport rank of India as per two of the most judiciously followed indices – Henley Passport Index and Global Passport Power Rank by Arton Capital.

Take a look!

India’s Rank in Henley Passport Index

When it comes to passports, people either view it as their gateway to the entire world or as a barrier to their travel freedom.

Henley Passport Index provides an accurate measure of how much freedom a passport-holder of any particular country can enjoy in their quest to travel the world.

One of the most trusted indices – this index ranks passports according to the number of countries their holders can visit without applying for a visa.

This particular index collects its data from the International Air Transport Association and ranks 199 passports in total.

Here is India’s rank in Henley Passport Index as in the years 2018, 2019 and 2020:

Year	Passport rank	Number of countries Indian passport holders can visit without a visa
2020	85	58
2019	82	59
2018	81	60

As per this new ranking, Indian passport holders can enjoy visa-free travel to 58 countries including Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Mauritius, etc.

As of now, after its fall in rank from 82 in 2019, the Indian passport ties in with Tajikistan and Mauritania.

Disclaimer - This data was updated in June-2020.

India’s Ranks in Global Passport Index

The Global Passport Index, empowered by Arton Capital, boasts of being the original interactive passport ranking system in the world. It offers real-time updates pertaining to new visa changes and waivers.

With this index, individuals will be able to gauge their passport’s mobility score, which is calculated according to the visa on arrival, visa-free, eVisa and eTA privileges proffered by said passport.

Following is the Global Passport Index rank for India for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Year	Passport rank	Number of countries offering visa-free, and visa on arrival facilities.
2020	48	Visa-free : 17 \| Visa on arrival: 30
2019	71	Visa-free: 25 \| Visa on arrival: 32
2018	68	Visa-free: 25 \| Visa on arrival: 41

Currently, as per the Global Passport Index rankings, the Indian passport is tied with the Philippines, Mauritania, Cameroon and Niger in terms of allowing travellers access to visa-free travel.

Even though India’s mobility score has dipped in 2020, Indian passport holders can always expect that their visa-free and visa on arrival privileges will expand and include other countries in the upcoming years!

Now that we have learnt about India’s position in the passport rankings, let us now take a glance at the top ten most and least powerful passports in the world according to the two indices mentioned above.

Disclaimer - This data was updated in June-2020.

Top 10 Most Powerful Passports in the World

The following table illustrates the first ten rank holders of the most powerful passports in the world in 2020, as per the benefits they offer to their holders in terms of freedom to travel without applying for a visa prior to the commencement of their trips.

Passport rank	Henley Passport Index	Global Passport Index
1	Japan	Switzerland, Ireland, UK, Luxembourg, Spain, Finland, Austria, Belgium
2	Singapore	Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Germany, France, Norway
3	Germany, South Korea	Iceland, Portugal, Greece, Malta
4	Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy	Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Liechtenstein
5	Denmark, Austria	Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia
6	Portugal, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Ireland	Monaco, Croatia
7	US, UK, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland	Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus
8	Malta, Greece, New Zealand, Czech Republic	San Marino
9	Canada, Australia	Andorra
10	Hungary	Ukraine, Vatican City

In 2020, as per the Henley Passport Index, Japan ranks first with visa-free access to 191 countries. In 2019, the Singapore passport earned the first position and now sits at the second position in the table.

However, due to separate metrics implemented by the Global Passport Index, the rankings of this index differ from that of the Henley Passport Index.

As per the GPI, the passports of eight countries, namely, the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Luxembourg, Finland and Belgium, offer their holders maximum mobility freedom around the world.

Disclaimer - This data was updated in June-2020.

10 Least Powerful Passports in the World

While visa-free travel is a luxury, there are a few passports that proffer their holders with limited access to such privileges.

Following is a table illustrating the rankings of the least powerful passports as per the Henley Passport Index and the Global Passport Index:

Henley Passport Index Rank	Global Passport Index Rank
109 - Afghanistan	65 - Iraq
108 - Iraq	64 - Afghanistan
107 - Syria	63 - Syria
106 - Pakistan	62 - Somalia, Yemen
105 - Yemen, Somalia	61 - Iran, Palestinian Territory
104 - Nepa, Palestinian Territory, Libya	60 - Pakistan
103 - North Korea	59 - Myanmar
102 - Sudan, Kosovo, Lebanon	58 - Lebanon
101 - Iran, Bangladesh	57 - North Korea, Libya, Bangladesh, Eritrea
100 - Sri Lanka, Congo, Eritrea	56 - Nepal, Kosovo, Ethiopia

As per the rankings determined by both these indices, Afghanistan and Iraq are the two countries whose passports allow travellers the least freedom in visa-free international travel.

To know more about Indian passport ranking in the world for 2021 and beyond, keep an eye on the above-mentioned indices!

Disclaimer - This data was updated in June-2020.

Frequently asked questions

✓ What are some of the other indices that rank passports in the world?

There are several other indices like the Bayat Migration Index, Latitude’s Country Access Tool, Nomad Capitalist Passport Index, etc. that rank passports.

Nonetheless, the Henley Passport Index and Global Passport Index are the most followed ones.

✓ How is the ranking for Global Passport Index determined?

Global Passport Index implements a three-tier methodology to determine the rank of each individual passport.

These include calculating their mobility score, checking the country’s standing on the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index, and comparing between each country’s visa-free privilege against their visa on arrival one.

✓ What is the Indian Passport’s current standing when compared to other passports?

When compared to other countries, India’s passport rank is generally considered towards the lower end of the spectrum.

While it allows holders a certain degree of freedom pertaining to visa-free travel, there are 151 countries for which Indian passport holders need to obtain a visa before their trip commences.