Henley Passport Index
Context:
- India now ranks at 83rd position in the Henley Passport Index, climbing seven places from 90th rank last year.
- India shares the rank with Sao Tome and Principe in Central Africa, behind Rwanda and Uganda.
Background
- It now has visa-free access to 60 destinations worldwide with Oman and Armenia being the latest additions. It has added 35 more destinations since 2006.
- Japan and Singapore has topped the list.
- The passport of the Maldives is the most powerful in South Asia (58th) enabling visa-free entry to 88 countries.
- In South Asia, Bangladesh (103rd) is ahead of Pakistan (108th) and Nepal (105th).
About the Henley Passport Index:
- The Henley & Partners publishes the ranking and the Index of the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
- It was launched in 2005.
- The ranking is based on data from the IATA (International Air Transport Association), a trade association of some 290 airlines, including all major carriers.
- The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.
- The data are updated in real time as and when visa policy changes come into effect.
Source: THE HINDU.
