 "Indian passport 80th most powerful: Visit these countries visa-free")
The latest Henley Passport Index ranking, released on Tuesday, places India's passport at the 80th position, up five places from its position in 2022. Indians can now visit 57 countries without a visa.
India's current ranking places it alongside countries such as Togo and Senegal.
While Indian passport holders have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Rwanda, Jamaica, and Sri Lanka, they still require a visa to enter 177 countries worldwide. China, Japan, Russia, the United States, and European Union countries are among them.
Meanwhile, Singapore has surpassed Japan as the world's most powerful passport, allowing visa-free entry to 192 global destinations.
After five years at the top, Japan fell to third place as the number of visa-free destinations accessible with its passport decreased. The United States (US), which topped the list nearly a decade ago, fell two spots to eighth place. Following a Brexit-induced slump, the United Kingdom (UK) jumped two spots to fourth, a position it last held in 2017. Afghanistan ranked last on the list, with easy access to only 27 destinations.
Passport Index has become the most popular interactive online tool for displaying, sorting, and ranking the world's passports.
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Notably, the Henley Passport Index, originally created by Dr Christian H Kaelin, is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.
It is updated in real-time throughout the year, as and when visa policy changes come into effect.
Countries where Indians can travel visa-free
According to the Henley Passport Index, Indian passport holders can travel to 57 countries visa-free. This includes Iran, Jordan, Oman, and Qatar in West Asia, as well as Bolivia and El Salvador in South America.
The list further includes Cook Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Niue, Palau Islands, Samoa, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu in the Oceania region; and Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.
Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macao (SAR China), Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste are among the Asian countries that allow Indian passport holders to enter without a visa.
The largest number of countries in the list belong to Africa, including Burundi, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.
Notably absent from the list are any European or North American countries, which are among the most popular travel destinations for Indians.