Indian passport holders now get access to 55 destinations, but remain far behind world’s strongest passports: Report

India has climbed five positions to rank 80th on the Henley Passport Index 2026, marking a modest improvement in global mobility for Indian passport holders, even as the country continues to trail the world’s most powerful passports by a wide margin.

According to the latest rankings released by London-based global citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners, Indian citizens now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 55 destinations, up from 85th place in the previous edition. The index is compiled using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and measures access across 227 global destinations.

The rise reflects incremental gains in India’s diplomatic engagement and international travel access. However, the gap with the top-ranked countries remains substantial.

Singapore retained its position as the world’s most powerful passport for the third consecutive year, granting visa-free access to 192 destinations, followed by Japan and South Korea, which each offer access to 188 destinations.

Henley & Partners noted that while global mobility has expanded significantly over the past two decades, access continues to be uneven. The strength of a passport, the firm said, increasingly mirrors a country’s political stability, diplomatic standing and economic influence.

“Passport privilege plays a decisive role in shaping opportunity, security and economic participation,” said Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the index.

For Indian travellers, the updated ranking means visa-free, visa-on-arrival or electronic travel authorisation access across parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands and the Americas, including destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, Maldives, Kenya, Mauritius, Qatar, Barbados, Fiji and Bolivia, among others.