How powerful is India's passport?

This year’s list of the world’s most powerful passports is out, with Japan bagging the top spot for the fifth consecutive year. Japan’s citizens have visa-free or visa-on-demand access to a record 193 destinations (85 per cent of the world), as per the latest Henley Passport Index. What is this index and where does India’s passport stand? Which are the best and worst passports to hold in 2023? Let’s take a look. What is the Henley Passport Index? Henley Passport Index is a report prepared by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners with the help of data obtained from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). “The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, giving users the most extensive and reliable information about their global access and mobility," the company says on its website. The index, which claims to be the “original ranking of all the world’s passports”, is updated every quarter depending on the countries’ visa policy changes, noted Indian Express. [caption id=“attachment_11968322” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Japan has the world’s most powerful passport. AFP File Photo[/caption] Where does India stand on Henley Passport Index? India is ranked 85th on the Henley Passport Index 2023, with its citizens having visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 59 destinations globally. Some of these places include Bhutan, Indonesia, Macao, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Iran and Qatar, among others. “India fares even worse, despite having the world’s fifth-largest economy: its passport holders can access just 59 destinations worldwide and only 6.7 per cent of global GDP, of which the country’s own GDP accounts for around half,” the Henley website said. Last year, India was placed at the 87th spot in the index, up from the 90th position in 2021 . Meanwhile, India’s neighbour China is at the 66th rank this year, with its citizens having visa-free access to 80 places. Which are the best passports? After Japan, Singapore and South Korea have the strongest passports.

The citizens of these two Asian countries can freely visit 192 destinations worldwide.

Germany and Spain are tied for the third spot with their citizens having visa-free or visa-on-demand access to 190 places. Finland, Italy and Luxembourg are in the fourth position, with passport holders having access to 189 destinations. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden are ranked fifth (188 places), while France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom are in the sixth spot (187 destinations). The United States has been put in seventh place, along with New Zealand, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic – all with a visa-free score of 186. [caption id=“attachment_11968502” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] US is ranked 7th on Henley Passport Index. Pixabay (Representational Image)[/caption] Australia, Canada, Greece and Malta are the eight best passports in the world; Hungary and Poland are the ninth best. Lithuania and Slovakia are settled on rank 10, with their citizens having access to 183 destinations. Which countries rank at the bottom of the index? The countries in the bottom ten of the Henley Passport Index 2023 are: 100. Sri Lanka/Sudan/Lebanon/Congo (Democratic Republic) (42 destinations) 101. Bangladesh/Kosovo/Libya (41 destinations) 102. North Korea (40 destinations) 103. Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations) 104. Somalia (35 destinations) 105. Yemen (34 destinations) 106. Pakistan (32 destinations) 107. Syria (30 destinations) 108. Iraq (29 destinations) 109. Afghanistan (27 destinations) “Afghanistan remains firmly at the bottom of the index, with a score of just 27 — 166 fewer visa-free destinations than Japan, which represents the widest global mobility gap in the index’s 18-year history,” the Henley & Partners website said. Iran, which in the eye of a storm since the anti-hijab protests that broke out in September last year, ranks at 99th spot with access to 43 places. Other indexes There are other indexes that rank global passports based on their ability to provide access to their holders. Arton Capital’s Passport Index ranks the passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories including ROC Taiwan, Macau (SAR China), Hong Kong (SAR China), Kosovo, Palestinian Territory and the Vatican. However, territories annexed to other nations are not included in this list, as per CNN. United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in the top spot on Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2023, with visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 181 places. Why do stronger passports matter? According to the Henley website, the strength of a passport is based on the number of destinations a country’s citizens can visit visa-free or with visa-on-arrival. Financial writer and global investment expert, Jeff D Opdyke, stated that passports are a “gateway to fiscal opportunity”. “A stronger passport isn’t just about greater freedom of movement: it’s about greater financial freedoms in terms of investing and entrepreneurial opportunities," Opdyke said, as per the Henley website. Chairman of Henley & Partners, Dr Christian H Kaelin, said in a statement that the report has increased the understanding of what passport power means in concrete financial terms. Calling the index “an extremely useful tool for travelers”, Kaelin said that “for global citizens and international businesspeople, a better measure of economic mobility and opportunity afforded by their passports is an indication of what share of the world’s GDP is accessible to them visa-free”. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.