HENLEY PASSPORT INDEX 2024

TAG: GS-2: GOVERNANCE & GS-3: ECONOMIC

THE CONTEXT: The Indian passport has been ranked 82nd in the Henley Passport Index 2024, providing visa-free entry to 58 countries, including Indonesia, Maldives and Thailand. Singapore tops the index with visa-free entry to 195 countries.

EXPLANATION:

About the Henley Passport Index

  • It 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.  It started in 2006 as the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI).
  • 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.
    • The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.
  • The number of countries that a specific passport can access becomes its visa-free ‘score’.

Highlights of Henley Passport Index 2024:

  • France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain hold the top spot as the world’s most powerful passports, allowing visa-free entry to 194 global destinations.
  • The average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled, from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024.
  • India’s passport ranked 82nd in the list, with citizens allowed to travel to 57 countries without a visa.
  • Afghanistan occupies the bottom spot on the list, with access to just 28 countries without a visa.
  • Syria, with visa-free access to only 29 destinations, holds the second-lowest position, followed by Iraq with 31 and Pakistan with 34.
  • The United Arab Emirates was the fastest climber over the past decade, jumping to 11th place and offering access to 183 destinations without a visa.

Noteworthy Climbs and Drops:

  • UAE: Rose from 62nd to 9th, now with access to 185 destinations.
  • China: Improved from 83rd to 59th, gaining access to 85 destinations.
  • Ukraine: Jumped from 53rd to 30th with access to 148 destinations.
  • Venezuela: Dropped from 25th to 42nd.
  • Other countries like Yemen, Nigeria, and Syria also experienced declines.
  • Bangladesh fell from 86th to 97th.

Access Discrepancies:

  • Significant disparities in passport strength and openness levels exist in Nepal, Djibouti, Burundi, Sri Lanka, and Somalia. On the other hand, there is a substantial correlation between passport quality and access in nations like Barbados, Singapore, Barbados, Malaysia, and the Bahamas, where there are very few disparities.

SOURCE:

https://m.economictimes.com/nri/visit/henley-passport-index-2024-three-asian-powers-make-it-to-top-10-where-does-india-stand/amp_articleshow/114938664.cms

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