As India’s passport steadily ascends global power ranking charts, let’s do all we can to strengthen it

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. This year’s Henley Passport Index is out and India has some reason to cheer. The country’s passport now ranks 80th on this annual chart published by Henley & Partners, a London-based global citizenship and advisory firm, up from its 85th rank in 2025.

The little blue booklet with the Ashokan lion-crest now grants citizens visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to as many as 55 countries, which implies an increase in its power as a door opener. Earlier this week, Germany allowed Indian travellers visa-free transit. While this permission to pass through German airports for onward flights to other places may not necessarily reflect in Henley’s rankings, Indian diplomacy may be helping expand the freedom with which Indians can go globe-trotting.

Given a detectably rising urge among us to visit overseas destinations as tourists and the growing need of business travellers to get around the world, a strengthening passport is clearly good news. Of course, other passport holders remain significantly more welcome, globally. Take Singapore’s passport, which tops Henley’s chart; it allows easy access to 192 countries.

Second-ranked Japan’s and South Korea’s passports let their holders breeze past border barriers in 188 countries. The third position on the chart is shared by Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, citizens of which have instant access to 186 destinations. As for the US, whose passport has long been among the world’s most sought-after, its citizens must content themselves with the 10th spot, with access to 179 countries without the need of a visa acquired in advance.