Japan, Singapore, South Korea have most powerful passports; where does India stand?
Russian travel documents rank 50th, allowing easy entry to 119 countries. China scored 69th with access to 80 countries, India ranked 87th, while Afghanistan's passport is the least helpful, granting entry to only 27 countries.
FollowJapan, Singapore, and South Korea have the most powerful passports, reversing pre-pandemic rankings favoured by European nations. According to the current Henley Passport Index from Henley & Partners, a Japanese passport offers hassle-free admission to 193 countries, one more than those from Singapore and South Korea.
Russian travel documents rank 50th, allowing easy entry to 119 countries. China scored 69th with access to 80 countries, India ranked 87th, while Afghanistan's passport is the least helpful, granting entry to only 27 countries.
"It will take time to recuperate and reclaim our travel freedoms, as well as our fundamental drive to move and migrate," Henley & Partners Chairman Christian Kaelin said in a statement.
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According to the ranking, Asian nations hardly ranked among the world's top ten most-accepted passports as late as 2017. Europe's hegemony has increasingly waned, with Germany currently behind South Korea. According to the most recent rating, the United Kingdom ranks sixth with access to 187 nations, while the United States ranks seventh with a score of 186.
The index, which is based on 17 years of data, assists affluent individuals and governments in determining the worth of citizenship throughout the world by determining which passports provide the most visa-free, or visa-on-arrival, access. Still, with worldwide travel still hampered by Covid restrictions, the index provides just a speculative picture of the best papers to have while the globe recovers from the pandemic.
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Meanwhile, India acknowledged that the government is working to develop e-passports that will simplify international travel and protect against identity theft. An e-passport (electronic passport) will work similarly to a standard physical passport, but will also include a small electronic chip within, similar to a driver's licence. The chip will save all of the passport holder's critical information, including name, birthdate, address, and other facts
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