India improved its position in the Henley Passport index

by Hakeem Perkins
April 5, 2022
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The original and authoritative rankings are applied to all passports in the world. This is based on the number of countries that passport holders can visit without obtaining a visa. The Henley Passport Index is the name given to these rankings.

This Index compares visa-free accessibility in the context of 199 different passports covering a total of 227 travel destinations. In cases where a visa is not required, a score of 1 is assigned to a specific passport. This rule also applies when a visa can be obtained on arrival or when an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or visitor’s permit can be obtained upon arrival at a specific destination.

The Henley Passport Index is the only one of its kind, with 16 years of historical data based only on those data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Aside from this Index, there are a number of other national and global indices that assess India’s position and status.

What is Henley Passport?

The Henley Passport Index is a global rating system for countries and passports based on the ability of passport holders to travel visa-free or receive a visa on arrival in various travel locations. When it was first adopted in 2006, it was known as the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI). However, the methodology was renamed the Henley Passport Index in January 2018.

The visa-free score for a specific passport is the number of countries that its holder can visit without obtaining a prior visa. Henley & Partners has been researching the status of visa regulations for all countries and territories worldwide since 2006. In addition, Henley & Partners has worked with the International Air Transport Association on this (IATA).

Some general ranking of last year

Germany has the most powerful passports in Europe, granting access to 190 countries.
Japan and Singapore hold the top two spots on the list for 2021. Both of these countries have passports that allow holders to travel visa-free in 192 countries.
As of 2021, India ranks 90 on the Henley Passport Index.
In the latest Henley Passport Index, released for the first quarter of 2022, India has risen seven places to 83rd place out of 111 countries.

Indian passport considerations for Henely passport raking

According to the rankings, the Henley Passport Index 2022 India rank is dependent on India’s current status. In 2021, India had dropped six places from its 2020 ranking to 90th, and this year has raised 7 places in the Henley Passport Index. In comparison to the top-ranked countries on the list, India has lagged far behind in granting access to passport holders. While Japan and Singapore issue passports that allow holders visa-free access to 192 countries, Indian passports only allow access to 58 countries without a prior visa. However, as its position has improved, Indian passport holders can now visit 59 countries worldwide, including Oman (the most recent addition), without obtaining a visa. In addition, 35 new destinations have been added to India’s list since 2006.

India’s position in the Henley Passport Index, The Indian government is very concerned about the international status of Indian passports in 2022. India’s ranking has been declining since 2020, and it has gotten worse since then. As a result, 2022 is more important, and fortunately, it has risen to 83rd place, leaving the previous ranking far behind.

It should be noted that the Henley Passport Index does not take current COVID restrictions into account. This will account for various situations that countries will have to deal with while the COVID pandemic continues to affect travel standards in major countries. However, the addition of this factor will have no effect on India’s ranking in the 2022 list.

Who is at the top and who is at the bottom?

According to local media, the Pakistani passport has been ranked as the fourth worst passport for international travel for the third year in a row, citing a report by the Henley Passport Index 2022 on Thursday. According to the report, Pakistani passport holders have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 31 countries around the world.

Afghani passport is at the bottom of the list of 199 passports.

With visa-free access to 192 destinations, Japan and Singapore ranked first on the Index. Germany and South Korea came in second and third, respectively, with visa-free access to 190 destinations.