The Indian passport has improved its standing in the global mobility chart, according to the Henley Passport Index 2026. India now ranks 80th, a rise from 85th place last year.
According to the Passport Index, the Indian passport now offers visa-free access to 55 destinations.
However, India’s strongest performance on the index was in 2006, when it was ranked 71st.
Passports are essential for enabling the freedom to travel, which has become a significant asset for people in today’s more interconnected globe. Stronger passport countries usually have greater diplomatic ties, making it easier for their citizens to go abroad, while weaker passport nations often encounter major barriers that restrict their possibilities for international mobility and
involvement.
As per the latest data, Singapore has retained its rank of being the world’s most powerful passport, granting visa-free entry to 192 destinations.
Japan and South Korea share second place with access to 188 countries. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland follow closely in third with 186 destinations. The US holds 10th rank giving access to only 179 countries.
According to CNN, the UAE has showed strongest performance in the 20-year history of the Henley Passport Index, adding 149 visa-free destinations since 2006 and climbing 57 places up the rankings. This, says the report, has been driven by the UAE’s “sustained diplomatic engagement and visa liberalization”.
Meanwhile, UK has witnessed year-on-year losses on the index, now having visa-free access to 182 destinations, eight fewer than it had 12 months ago.
The country with weakest passport is Afghanistan, with its citizens allowed visa-free entry to only 24 countries.
“Over the past 20 years, global mobility has expanded significantly, but the benefits have been distributed unevenly,” says Christian H. Kaelin, chairman at Henley & Partners and creator of the Henley Passport Index.
“Today, passport privilege plays a decisive role in shaping opportunity, security and economic participation, with rising average access masking a reality in which mobility advantages are increasingly concentrated among the world’s most economically powerful and politically stable nations,” he added.
