The Henley Passport Index 2021

Why in news?

• India’s passport power has improved to 83rd position in the Henley Passport Index, climbing seven places from 90th rank last year.

About Henley Passport Index:

• The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports 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).
• Japan (192) and Singapore (192) top the index followed by Germany(190) and South Korea(190).
• In the bottom: Pakistan(31), Syria (29),Iraq(28) and Afghanistan(26)

How is the Index estimated?

• The index compare visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travels destinations.
• If no visa is required, then a score with value = 1 is created for that passport. The same applies if you can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.
• The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required.

Add ons:

• India now has visa-free access to 60 destinations worldwide with Oman and Armenia being the latest additions. India has added 35 more destinations since 2006.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding ‘The Henley Passport Index’:

1. It ranks passports according to how many destinations can be reached using a particular country's ordinary passport without requiring a visa

2. It is annually published by World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)

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