Henley Passport Index

Why in news?

• Henley Passport Index 2023 has been released by the consultancy firm named ‘Henley & Partners’.

What is the Henley Passport Index?

• ??Henley Passport Index is the ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
• The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.

What are the key rankings of Henley Passport Index 2023?

• Globally:
  • Singapore has topped the index.
  • It is now officially the most powerful passport in the world with its citizens able to visit 192 travel destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free.
  • Germany, Italy, and Spain occupied the second place.
• India:
  • India has climbed seven places in 2023 and is ranked at 80th position.
  • Indian citizens can now enjoy visa-free access to 57 destinations.
  • In 2014, India was ranked 76 with 52 countries allowing Indian passport holders visa-free access but its performance has not been linear.
  • It ranked 88 in 2015 (visa-free access to 51 countries), 85 in 2016, 87 in 2017, 81 in 2018, 82 in 2019 and 2020, and 81 in 2021.

What is the Henley Openness Index?

• Henley Openness Index measures how many nations does a country allows visa-free access to.
• The top 20 ‘most open’ countries are all small island nations or African states, except for Cambodia.
• Here, India was ranked 94 out of a total of 97 ranks for allowing only four countries visa-free access.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Consider the following statements:

1. Currently none of the countries are allowed visa-free access in India

2. Indian passport holders has visa-free access to more than 50 countries

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer