GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 26th July: India’s passport has shown significant improvement in the Henley Passport Index 2025, climbing to 77th place globally. This advancement allows Indian citizens to travel to 59 countries either visa-free or by obtaining a visa on arrival (VoA), a slight but positive increase from 58 countries last year, according to data as of July 22, 2025. This rise in ranking expands international travel options for Indian passport holders, even as many other countries’ rankings have remained stagnant or declined.
The Henley Index, which assesses passports based on the number of destinations accessible without a prior visa, highlights a shift in global mobility. Singapore now holds the top position, granting its citizens visa-free access to 193 countries. Japan and South Korea share second place with access to 190 countries, while seven European nations, including Germany, France, and Spain, are in third place, offering access to 189 countries. New Zealand, Greece, and Switzerland are ranked fifth, providing visa-free access to 188 destinations.
At the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan’s passport remains at the bottom, allowing its citizens access to only 25 countries without a visa. Notably, once dominant passports like those of the United States and the United Kingdom have seen a drop in their rankings. The UK now stands at sixth place with access to 186 countries, and the US is in tenth place with 182 countries, a decline experts attribute partly to stricter immigration rules.
Among other notable improvements, Saudi Arabia made a significant leap earlier in 2025, gaining visa-free access to four additional countries, bringing its total to 91. China has also improved its rank by 34 places since 2015, now holding the 60th position, though Chinese passport holders still require visas for Schengen countries in Europe. Popular visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations for Indian travelers include Malaysia, Indonesia, Maldives, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Macau, and Myanmar. This overall upward trend is seen as a promising development for Indian citizens seeking to explore the world more freely for various purposes.
