Henley Passport Index 2021

Henley Passport Index 2021

Global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners has released the Henley Passport Index 2021.

What is Henley Passport Index

The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team. It was started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI) and was modified and renamed in January 2018.

Ranks of India in Henley Passport Index 2021

India ranks 85th in the index with a visa-free score of 58. The Indian passport ranked higher in both 2020 (84th) and 2019 (82nd). The government has been making efforts to increase the number of countries that provide visa free travel, visa-on-arrival and e-visa facilities so as to further ease international travel for Indians.

Other countries Rankings

• Japan continues to hold the number one position on the index, with passport holders able to access 191 destinations around the world visa-free.
• Singapore is in second place (with a score of 190) and South Korea ties with Germany in third place (with a score of 189).
• The top spots were traditionally held by EU countries, the UK, or the US. This year, it is the Asia-Pacific (APAC) passports which are the most powerful in the world as it includes some of the first countries to begin the process of recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan continue to be the countries with the worst passport to hold with a passport score of 29, 28 and 26 respectively.