Henley Passport Index 2021

• 07 Oct 2021

Why in News

India has been ranked 90^th in the most powerful passport report ‘Henley Passport Index 2021’.

Key Points

• About the Index:
  
  • The Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
  • Originally created by Dr. Christian H. Kaelin (chairman of Henley & Partners), the ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information.
  • It was launched in 2006 and includes 199 different passports.
• Global Rankings:
  
  • Japan and Singapore stood at the top of this year’s list, with their passport holders allowed to travel visa-free to 192 countries, while South Korea and Germany share the second position.
    
    • For the third consecutive year, Japan has secured the top position.
  • Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen are among the least powerful.
• India’s Performance:
  
  • India fell down to the 90^th position, with its passport holders allowed to travel visa-free to 58 countries.
    
    • India shares the rank with Tajikistan and Burkina Faso.
  • India was ranked 85^th in the January 2021’s index’, (84^th) in 2020 and (82^nd) in 2019.

Source: IE