According to the latest ranking by the Henley Passport Index, Singapore has surpassed Japan to become the most powerful passport in the world. Singaporean passport holders enjoy visa-free access to an impressive 192 destinations worldwide.
India, on the other hand, has improved its ranking by five spots from the previous year and currently holds the 80th position on the index, alongside Togo and Senegal. Indian passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 57 countries.
In the Henley Passport Index ranking, Japan, which had held the top position for the past five years, dropped to third place. It now shares its position with Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden, as they all provide visa-free access to 189 countries.
The United States, which held the top ranking almost a decade ago, slipped two places to secure the eighth position. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, despite experiencing setbacks due to Brexit, climbed two places to fourth, a position it last held in 2017.
At the bottom of the list, Afghanistan has the least advantageous passport, granting easy access to only 27 destinations. Yemen (99), Pakistan (100), Syria (101), and Iraq (102) complete the bottom five countries in terms of passport power.
The Henley Passport Index, created almost two decades ago by Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, relies on authoritative data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This original index ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can travel to without requiring a pre-arranged visa.