For India, the report said, “…despite having the world’s fifth-largest economy: its passport holders can access just 59 destinations worldwide and only 6.7 percent of global GDP, of which the country’s own GDP accounts for around half.”
With visa-free entry in 59 countries, the Indian passport ranks 85th in the list of most powerful passports in the world, according to the Henley Passport Index released on 10th January It has slipped two spots from the 83rd rank in 2022.
Japan’s passport continues to be the most powerful in the world, with a visa-free entry in 193 countries. South Korea and Singapore stand in the second spot. Germany and Spain jointly hold third place in the ranking. Afghanistan’s passport was the worst passport according to the ranking.
“Japanese citizens are now able to visit an astonishing 193 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free, while South Koreans and Singaporeans, whose countries are tied in 2nd place on the index, enjoy a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 192. Germany and Spain are joint 3rd, with visa-free access to 190 destinations worldwide. The UK and the US remain in 6th and 7th places, with scores of 187 and 186, respectively, and it appears increasingly unlikely that either country will ever regain the top spot on the index, which they jointly held nearly a decade ago in 2014,” Henley & Partners that publishes the ranking said in its press release.
For India, the report said, “…despite having the world’s fifth-largest economy: its passport holders can access just 59 destinations worldwide and only 6.7 percent of global GDP, of which the country’s own GDP accounts for around half.”
In 2023, the countries are opening up after three years of stagnation, and international travel is surging to a record level.
