Correct Answer : 85th
The Henley Passport Index for 2024 has been released, and India slipped one rank down from last year (2023) to 85th. The index ranks 199 nations based on the strength of their passports, and in 2024, France has topped the list, as its passport provides visa-free access to 194 countries.
India slipped one notch down from last year to 85th even as the countries with visa-free access to Indians increased to 62 from 60 in 2023. The rank of political crisis-hit Pakistan remained the same as last year, at 106, while Bangladesh's position slipped from 101 in 2023 to 102 this year.
Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain are the other countries that are standing alongside France on the top.
Interestingly, the Maldives, India's maritime neighbour, was ranked 58th with its citizens having visa-free access to 96 countries.
In geopolitics, the strength of a country's passport is a significant metric to measure its soft power. A strong passport allows citizens to freely travel across the globe without requiring a visa.
China witnessed a marginal jump in its ranking from 66 in 2023 to 64 this year, as the country granted visa-free access to many European nations to revive its tourism sector in a post-pandemic economy. The ranking of the United States jumped from 7th to 6th position even as its anti-immigration stance seems to be a polarising issue in the upcoming Presidential elections.
Henley Passport Index Methodology
“With historical data spanning
19 years, the Henley Passport Index is the only one of its kind based on exclusive data from the
International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index includes
199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. Updated monthly, the Henley Passport Index is considered the standard reference tool for global citizens and sovereign states when assessing where a passport ranks on the global mobility spectrum," the Henley Passport Index said on its website while sharing the details around its data.
The rankings denote that global mobility underwent a significant transformation over the last two decades as in
2006 people could travel visa-free to only
58 countries on average. However, the number has almost doubled to
111 countries this year (2024)..
Source :
Mint
