Mumbai, Jan 17: The Indian passport has strengthened its global standing in the newly released Henley Passport Index 2026, climbing five spots to secure the 80th position.
While the rise in ranking signals
improved diplomatic mobility, the report highlights a paradoxical trend as the number of countries offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to Indian citizens has actually decreased to 55, down from 57 in the previous year.
Henley Index methodology
The Henley Passport Index, which utilises exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), remains one of the most authoritative benchmarks for global travel freedom. India shares its current 80th rank with Algeria and Niger, securing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 55 countries.
Visa-free access declines
The decrease from 57 to 55 visa-free destinations for India, despite a higher overall rank, is attributed to shifting geopolitical landscapes and the suspension of certain visa-on-arrival programmes. For instance, Cape Verde suspended its visa-on-arrival facility for several nations, including India, effective from this year.
Experts explain rank rise
However, experts suggest the rank improvement is a result of other nations’ scores dropping more significantly, combined with India’s successful negotiations for Electronic Travel Authorisations (eTA) in new territories.
Asian and European dominance
The top tier of the index remains largely dominated by Asian and European powerhouses. Singapore has retained its title as the world’s most powerful passport for the third consecutive year, offering its citizens unfettered access to 192 destinations, down from 195 last year.
.While Japan retained the second spot with access to 188 countries, down from 193, it shared the rank with South Korea, which climbed from the third spot last year with access to 192 countries. The third rank was shared by Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark, with access to 186 countries.
India’s position in South Asia
In the South Asian context, India continues to maintain a significant lead over most of its neighbours, though it still trails behind some regional peers in terms of total mobility.
Notably, Afghanistan remained at the bottom of the global list at 101, with access to 24 countries, while Pakistan continued to struggle near the lower end of the spectrum at the 98th spot, with access to 31 countries.
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While China is India’s only neighbouring country with a better ranking at No. 59, with access to 81 countries, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh remained at the 87th, 93rd and 95th spots, respectively.
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