Passports play a crucial role in traveling around the world more than ever before – they are not just a small book containing your travel records, but also a symbol of your country’s diplomatic prominence. The Henley Passport Index 2025 is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports. This ranking is calculated according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ Research Team. Expert insights regarding the latest ranking are available in the Global Mobility Report 2025. They recently revealed its ranking of passports, with Singapore topping the list for the second time in a row. If you’re wondering where India stands in the list, keep reading to find out more!
Henley Passport Index 2025: Top 10 Countries
Citizenship Advisory Firm Henley & Partners recently released its Henley Passport Index 2025. According to the ranking, Singapore topped the list, with its passport holders gaining visa-free access to a whopping 195 countries. Following close to Singapore is Japan, with Japanese passport holders allowed to enter 193 countries visa-free. Finland grabbed the third spot with visa-free entry to 192 countries.
Here’s the entire top 10 list of Henley Passport Index 2025:
| Rank | Country(s) | No. of countries with visa-free access |
| 1 | Singapore | 195 |
| 2 | Japan | 193 |
| 3 | Finland | 192 |
| 4 | France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Austria | 191 |
| 5 | Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Belgium | 190 |
| 6 | New Zealand, Portugal, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia | 189 |
| 7 | Greece, Canada | 188 |
| 8 | Malta, Poland, Czechia | 187 |
| 9 | Hungary, Estonia | 186 |
| 10 | United States, Latvia, United Arab Emirates, Lithuania | 185 |
Countries with stronger passports tend to enjoy better diplomatic relations, in turn allowing citizens to travel seamlessly from these countries. However, countries with weaker passports do not enjoy many perks – they face obstacles in enabling global mobility for their citizens.
It is interesting to note that the list was mostly dominated by European countries, with a few exceptions like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. In a significant move, the United Arab Emirates gained access to 72 new destinations since 2015, marking its entry into the coveted Top 10.
India Ranking In The Henley Passport Index 2025
If you were wondering where India stands in this global listing, its 2025 position is in the 85th spot. India shares this spot with Niger and Equatorial Guinea. Indian passport holders, with the position being on the 85th spot, get visa-free access to 57 countries.
Interestingly, India slipped down 5 spots this year, with it being on the 80th spot in 2024. India’s trajectory on the index has been quite inconsistent, with its strongest performance being in 2006 (71st rank) and the worst being in 2021 (90th spot).
Worst-Performing Countries On The Henley Passport Index 2025
On the other end of the list, Afghanistan stands at the last spot (106th rank), with visa-free access to only 26 destinations. Syria stands on the second-last spot (105th rank) with 27 destinations and Iraq on the third-last spot (104th rank) with 31 destinations only. Major reasons for their low performance are ongoing political conflicts, government instability, and civil wars, which also make travelers way less likely to visit these places.
India’s Neighbors: Where Do They Stand?
While India slightly slipped to the 85th spot, Pakistan is on the 103rd rank (33 countries), Nepal close to it on the 101st rank (39 countries), Bangladesh on the 100th rank (40 countries), and Sri Lanka on the 96th rank (44 countries).
Even though these countries are below India on the Henley Passport Index, it is also quite concerning to see India’s rank consecutively being only in the 80s range since 2015.
