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The Indian passport is your first ticket to unexplored avenues across the world. Many passport indices across the world have ranked different nations' passports based on various factors. Recently, the Indian passport slipped five spots on the Henley Passport Index report and is now at #85. While the strength of the Indian passport continues to improve, read on to learn everything about the ranking of the Indian passport in the world.
The strength of any nation's passport is an important factor in deciding the travel opportunities of its citizens. Here are the two most popular passport indices that assess different passports for their openness, travel freedom and passport strength:
Both indices use different parameters to rank the strongest and weakest passports in the world. For this reason, both have different countries at varying ranks. Indian passport strength ranking is different on both these indices.
Henley & Partners is a London-based citizenship and residence advisory firm. The Henley Passport Index ranks about 199 passports depending upon the total number of places these passport holders can visit without a prior visa.
This leaderboard is based on the data provided by IATA or the International Air Transport Association. It has a point-based system where it awards points to passports based on their global travel freedom. This considers factors like requirements for visitor's permit, availability of visa on arrival, or visa-free entry for different passport holders across the world.
Arton Capital's passport index is a unique interactive tool that uses real-time information for its ranking. An initiative by Arton Capital, this Passport Index has become a reputed passport ranking reference since 2014.
It follows a different approach than the Henley passport index, including real-time data as per the latest official information & other publicly available sources. It covers the 193 countries that are a part of the United Nations as well as 6 selected territories.
The Henley Passport Index evaluates passports of different countries across the world based on global travel freedom, i.e., how many countries can a person visit visa-free or on a visa-on-arrival on their passport?
Global travel freedom is one of the most important factors considered while ranking passports. As of now, a total number of 199 passports and 227 travel destinations are compared to determine that country's passport strength since 18 years.
Different world citizens enjoy different global travel freedoms. For example, some people can easily get a visa on arrival because of their nationality, such as those belonging to the European Union or UAE.
On the other hand, many travellers from other countries may be denied a visa even if they apply before their scheduled departure. While reasons for visa denial or visa refusal are many, it helps to have a strong passport. Let us now learn about the Indian passport's strength and the changes in its ranking over the years.
In 2025, the Indian passport rank fell to #85 per the Henley Passport Index. In 2023, India ranked #82on this Index. As per the Arton Capital's Global Passport Index, the Indian passport ranks #66 in 2025, slipping one rank from last year
Indian passport holders are allowed visa-free entry to 52 countries, a number which has remained unchanged with the rank change. However, many factors determine this ranking, and it is bound to change every year.
Let's look at the last few years' data on Indian passport ranking in the world as per both passport ranking indices.
Year | Henley Passport Index Rank | Global Passport Index Rank |
2025 | #85 | #66 |
2024 | #82 | #65 |
2023 | #80 | #71 |
2022 | #87 | #66 |
2021 | #90 | #73 |
2020 | #82 | #48 |
2019 | #82 | #71 |
As you can see, the ranking trends have changed significantly over the years, and after a long time, there has been such an improvement in Indian passport ranking in the world. Owing to the improved passport strength, Indians can travel to 62 travel destinations visa-free or by availing of visa on arrival for Indians wherever offered.
If you've been considering travelling abroad but feel intimidated by all the visa formalities, check out some of the best countries offering visa-free entry to Indians. Of course, you would still need a valid Indian passport first! If you haven't already, then apply for a passport so that you can start journeying abroad.
Talking about international trips, you also need to buy travel insurance before starting your trip. It is a great safeguard for many emergencies that you may face outside of India. Also, some countries make trip insurance mandatory, such as the Schengen nations, Australia, Dubai etc. On the other hand, some situations may make you wish it was mandatory as you can land in deep trouble if there's a mishap.
The strength of a passport depends on the number of countries allowing visa-free entry or visa on arrival to the passport holder. This year, Singapore is again on #1, allowing its passport-holders access to 195 countries.
In the 2024 Henley Passport Index, Japan has been ranked #1 along with Singapore, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.
These are the latest global passport rankings for 2025. We have also listed the total number of places their passport holders can access without a prior visa:
Nation | Rank | Visa-free Destinations |
Singapore | #1 | 195 |
Japan | #2 | 193 |
Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain | #3 | 192 |
Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden | #4 | 191 |
Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom | #5 | 190 |
Australia, Greece | #6 | 189 |
Canada, Malta, Poland | #7 | 188 |
Czechia, Hungary | #8 | 187 |
Estonia, US | #9 | 186 |
Latvia, Lithuania Slovenia, UAE | #10 | 185 |
Arton Capital considers multiple factors, such as global mobility, simplicity, quality of life, etc., to rank the strongest and weakest passports in the world. Here are the strongest passports of 2025 as per the Global Passport Index:
Nation | Rank |
UAE | #1 |
Spain | #2 |
France, Germany, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Greece, Ireland | #3 |
Sweden, Poland, Hungary | #4 |
South Korea, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Slovakia | #5 |
Japan, Singapore, Latvia, Slovenia, New Zealand, Liechtenstein | #6 |
Malta, UK, Canada, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Australia, | #7 |
Iceland, USA | #8 |
Cyprus | #9 |
Malaysia, Monaco | #10 |
You May Also Like to Read: How to Renew Indian Passport
Contrary to the benefits of a strong passport, those holding a weak passport get limited global travel freedom. This may be due to their country's geopolitical relationship, conflict or other factors that may limit their international travel. Take a look at some of the least powerful passports in the world:
Henley Passport Index Rank | Global Passport Index Rank |
#199 Afghanistan | #92 Syria |
#198 Iraq | #91 Afghanistan |
#197 Syria | #90 Iraq |
#196 Pakistan | #89 Somalia, Pakistan |
#195 Yemen | #88 Yemen |
#194 Somalia | #87 Bangladesh, Palestinian Territories |
#192 Nepal, Palestinian Territory | #86 North Korea |
#191 North Korea | #85 Libya, Sudan, Eritrea |
#188 Bangladesh, Kosovo, Libya | #84 South Sudan, Nepal |
#184 Lebanon, Sudan, DR Congo, Sri Lanka | #83 Nigeria, Congo (Dem. Republic) |
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*Price shown is for a 30 day trip to Thailand with 1 lakh dollar coverage for an adult of age 25 years