World’s Most Powerful Passports 2024: Know Where India Stands
The Henley Passport Index for 2024 has been released. As per the Index ranks of 199 nations, France tops the list. While India has slipped one rank down from last year, moving from 84th to 85th. Though India’s visa-free access to Indians has increased to 62 from 60 in 2023, India has slipped one notch down. India’s drop came even after recent announcements from Iran, Malaysia and Thailand offering visa-free entry for Indian tourists.
France tops the list and its passport provides visa-free access to 194 countries.
The Hanley passport Index ranks nations based on the strength of their passports. Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain are among the top-ranked countries besides France.
Meanwhile, Pakistan was able to maintain its rank at 106th position. However, Bangladesh has slipped from 101st to 102nd position. India’s neighbouring country Maldives continues to remain as the strongest passport compared to its neighbouring countries. They enjoy visa-free travel to 96 countries.
China has witnessed a marginal jump in its ranking from 66 in 2023 to 64 this year. This jump came after the country granted visa-free access to many European nations to revive its tourism sector in the post-pandemic economy. The ranking of the US passport has also improved. It has moved from seven to six. But its anti-immigration stance seems to be a polarising issue in the upcoming Presidential elections. While the British passport has improved from fourth position to third.
The Hanley’s Passport Index derives its ranking from data spanning the past 19 years, based on the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) specialized data, covering 199 different passports and 227 travel destinations worldwide.
The index is updated monthly and it serves as a global standard for citizens of independent countries. The data shows the significant changes in global mobility over the past decades. People could travel visa-free to an average of 58 countries in 2006. While now the number has gone up to 111 in 2024.
