Indian passport ranks 78th among world's strongest with low visa-free score; Germany tops

New Delhi: The Indian passport has been ranked a lowly 78 position in a global ranking of the world's most powerful passports with a visa-free score of just 46.

India, however, ranks above its neighbour Pakistan which came in at 94th place.

The latest edition of the world's most popular Arton Capital's global ranking 'Passport Index' is based on cross-border access of national passports and is topped by Germany with a visa-free score of 157.

As per the report, Singapore has overtaken South Korea to become the highest ranked Asian passport with a visa-free score of 156.

China is ranked 58th on the list.

Afghanistan's is the least powerful passport with a visa-free score of just 23.

The world's most popular online interactive tool which collects, displays and ranks the passports globally assigns a "visa-free score" according to the number of countries a passport holder can visit visa-free or with visa on arrival.

"The desire to improve one's opportunity and security for their family transcends borders. As such, having a second citizenship has never been more relevant," said John Hanafin, CEO of Arton Capital.

The newly added 'World Openness Score' (WOS) tracks the progression of freedom of mobility across the globe. The WOS in 2016 was 17,925. In the first month of 2017, the score has already increased to 17,948.

"This trend shows opening of borders but will it continue? With the recent backlash against globalisation and ongoing immigration issues, the World Openness Score may be in danger of decline," the report said.

In recent years, citizenship by investment has become a USD 2 billion industry, with over 20,000 investors seeking a second residency or citizenship around the globe every year.

With PTI Inputs