New Delhi:
The Henley Passport Index 2025 has unveiled a landscape of changing travel freedoms, highlighting notable shifts in global mobility. India’s passport ranking has taken a hit, dropping five places to 85th, while Singapore solidifies its position at the top with unprecedented visa-free access.
Intro Section:
The latest Henley Passport Index 2025 reveals a significant drop in India’s ranking, from 80th to 85th, reflecting broader trends in global travel mobility. Singapore has reclaimed the top spot, offering its citizens visa-free access to an impressive 195 destinations worldwide. Meanwhile, the United States has plummeted seven places to 9th, a decline attributed to increasingly inward-looking and isolationist political trends. India’s passport ranking, which had shown signs of recovery since 2021, has now slipped back to 85th.
India’s Ranking Slips:
India’s ranking in the Henley Passport Index 2025 has dropped from 80th to 85th, allowing its passport holders visa-free access to only 57 destinations. This ranking is shared with Equatorial Guinea and Niger, underscoring the challenges Indian citizens face in international travel. Historically, India’s passport ranking has fluctuated, reaching its highest at 71st in 2006 and its lowest at 90th in 2021, largely due to global travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leaders in Visa-Free Travel:
Singapore tops the index with visa-free access to 195 destinations, followed closely by Japan with 193 destinations. The top 10 list is dominated by European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, and South Korea, all offering visa-free access to 192 destinations. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made a remarkable climb, securing the 10th spot with visa-free access to 185 destinations, a gain of 32 places over the past decade.
US Passport Loses Ground:
The United States has experienced a significant decline, dropping from 2nd to 9th place. Experts attribute this fall to the country’s increasingly inward-looking and isolationist political trends. Annie Pforzheimer, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that American voters were influenced by a narrative that America should stand alone, contributing to this downward trend.
Countries with Limited Mobility:
On the other end of the spectrum, countries like Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan continue to face stringent travel restrictions. Pakistan and Yemen share the 103rd rank, offering visa-free access to only 33 destinations. Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the index, with its passport holders having access to just 26 destinations, the largest mobility gap in the index’s 19-year history.
UAE’s Rise and Global Mobility Trends:
The UAE’s ascent to the 10th spot highlights its growing diplomatic and economic influence. The Henley Passport Index, which relies on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), serves as a benchmark for assessing passport strength and global mobility trends. This index underscores the widening gap in travel freedoms, reflecting broader geopolitical and economic shifts.
4 before dropping to 85th in 2025.
