New Delhi: Do you realise that you may hold the most powerful passport in the world without even realising it? Global unrest during the past several years, brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine, has changed the status of many nations worldwide. Naturally, this has had a big impact on how much information our passports can hold as well as where and how we can travel. As 2023 has just begun Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residency consultancy company with offices in London, has released the Henley Passport Index for the year 2023 based on special data provided by the International Air Transport Association. The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, giving users the most extensive and reliable information about their global access and mobility. Each passport is scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free.
Also Read: World’s Strongest Passports List 2023: India ranks 85th, Indians can travel visa-free in THESE 59 countries
Here’s how the passport score is calculated
The Henley Passport Index compares the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations. If no visa is required, then a score with value = 1 is created for that passport. The same applies if you can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.
Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder has to obtain a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) before departure, a score with value = 0 is assigned. This also applies if you need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival.
The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required (value = 1).
The ranking of the 2023 Henley Passport Index is now out, with Japan claiming the top spot for the fifth year in a row. India is ranked 85th on the passport index, which indicates that holders of an Indian passport are not need to obtain a visa in order to enter 59 other countries. Afghanistan’s passport came in at number 109 with a visa-free score of 27, while Iraq’s passport came in at number 108 with a visa-free score of 29. Syria has a visa-free ranking of 107 and a score of 30. With a visa-free score of 32, Pakistan ranks as the fifth worst passport in the world, at number 106. Yemen is ranked 105th with a score of 34 for visa-free travel.
Asia’s Strongest Passports- Here’s the list
| Country | Worldwide Rank | Visa Free Score |
| Japan | 1 | 193 destinations |
| Singapore | 2 | 192 destinations |
| Israel | 25 | 159 destinations |
| Qatar | 55 | 100 destinations |
| Kuwait | 57 | 97 destinations |
| China |
66
|
80 destinations |
| India | 85 | 59 destinations |
| Sri Lanka | 100 | 42 destinations |
| Bangladesh | 101 | 41 destinations |
| Nepal | 103 | 38 destinations |
| Yemen | 105 | 34 destinations |
| Pakistan | 106 | 32 destinations |
| Syria | 107 |
30 destinations |
| Iraq | 108 | 29 destinations |
| Afghanistan | 109 | 27 destinations |
China’s allows access to 80, the same as Bolivia’s. Russia’s is better, providing hassle-free entry to 118 destinations, while Afghanistan’s remained the weakest, with access to just 27. “At the bottom of the ranking, the Afghanistan passport gives visa-free entry to only 12% of the world and less than 1% of global economic output.” noted Henley Passport Index website.