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Henley Passport Index-2024 has been published. In which France has got the top position. French passport holders can travel to 194 countries without a visa. The strength of any country's passport shows how influential it is in the world as a soft power. India's performance in the Henley Passport Index this year has been worse than last year, with the Indian passport slipping one place to 85th.
How strong a country's passport is is determined by the Henley Index based on visa-free access. That is, the country whose passport can be used to travel to most countries without visa is the strongest.
Which countries top the Henley Passport Index?
France tops the Henley Passport Index. Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain are at the top along with France. Finland, South Korea and Sweden share second place in the Henley Passport ranking with 193 visa-free destinations. Austria ranks third with 192 visa-free destinations.
India's decline in ranking is shocking
Passport of India has decreased by one place in 2024 compared to last year. Last year, India was ranked 84th in the Henley Passport Index, but this year it has slipped to 85th position. India's drop in ranking is somewhat surprising because while last year Indian passport holders could travel visa-free to 60 countries, this year the number of visa-free countries has increased to 62.
Recently Iran has announced visa free entry for Indian tourists. Indian tourists can avail visa-free travel to Iran for 15 days. Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka are also among the countries that have announced visa-free entry for Indians some time ago.
What is the ranking of Pakistan Maldives passport?
Talking about Pakistan's ranking, like last year, this time too it is at 106th position. India's neighboring country Bangladesh has also fallen one place from last year, from 101st to 102nd.
The passport of India's maritime neighbor Maldives is as strong as ever. The Maldivian passport is ranked 58th and Maldivian passport holders can visit 96 countries visa-free.
Strong power in Chinese passport, who is at the bottom?
The Chinese passport has performed very well in the Hanley Passport Index. While China's passport was ranked 66th in 2023, this year it has jumped two points to 64th. China has allowed visa-free entry to many European countries to revive their tourism after the Covid pandemic. At the same time, the American passport has also become stronger this year compared to last year. Last year America was at seventh place but this year it has slipped to sixth place. Afghanistan remains at the bottom position in Henley passport ranking. Afghanistan continues to lag under Taliban rule and its passport is also the worst performing. Afghanistan's passport ranks lowest at 109th, with 28 visa-free destinations.
How are rankings determined in the Henley Passport Index?
The Henley Passport Index website states that they have passport data for the last 19 years from various countries. The website reads, 'The Henley Passport Index is the only index of its kind based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index covers 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. According to the website, the index is updated every month. The website claims that the Henley Passport Index is a benchmark for citizens and independent countries around the world when it comes to the strength of passports around the world.
Henley Passport Index data show that global mobility has changed significantly over the past two decades. In 2006, people could travel visa-free to an average of 58 countries. But this year this number has almost doubled to 111 countries.