The Henley Passport Index for 2024 was released recently and France secured the top spot, while India's passport ranking slipped one place from last year. India’s rank, which was 84th last year, has now slipped to 85th. For the unversed, the Henley Passport Index ranks countries on the basis of the strength of their passports. 

World’s most powerful passport 

In the list, France has secured the top position as world’s most powerful passport. This comes in as this passport grants visa-free access to a total of 194 countries. On the other hand, India’s decline in ranking has come as a surprise. This is because last year Indian passport holders could travel visa-free to 60 countries and this year the number has increased to 62.

Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain are other top ranking countries.  Pakistan maintains its position at 106th place, which was the same last year as well. Bangladesh, on the other hand, has slipped from 101st to 102nd position. The last on the list is Afghanistan.

India's neighbour, Maldives also continues to have a strong passport. It has maintained its position at 58th place.

More about Henley passport index

The Henley Passport Index comes up with these rankings from data analysis of the past 19 years. The analysis is based on the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) specialized data which covers 199 different passports and 227 travel destinations worldwide. It is updated monthly. 

“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,” reads the official website.