THE Henley Passport Index, which measures the strength of passports of all nations on the basis of the the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa, has ranked India 86th for 2019. Indian passport holders can travel to 58 destinations across the world either visa-free, after obtaining visa on arrival or with an electronic visa.
According to the index website, the ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, including micro-states and territories.
For 2019, Japan and Singapore held the top spot, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 189 destinations, dislodging Germany, which held the numero uno position in 2018. Along with Germany in the second spot were Finland and South Korea (187 destinations), followed by Denmark, Italy and Luxembourg at third place (186 destinations), France, Spain and Sweden at fourth spot (185 destinations) and Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland tied at fifth spot with 184 destinations.
Afghanistan's passport was the weakest, with access to only 25 destinations. Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Somalia were the other nations at the bottom of the barrel.
India's ranking was 81st in 2018, 87th in 2017 and 85th in 2016. It stood 75th in 2009.
The biggest improvement in the past decade was seen in United Arab Emirates, which gained 41 places to move to the 20th spot in 2019 from 61st in 2009.
The steepest fall was seen in Nigeria, which fell to 98th place in 2019 from 67th in 2009.
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