India drops to 84 in Passport Index, Japan tops the chart

New Delhi: India has dropped 10 places to 84 in the latest update of the Henley Passport Index, sharing the spot with tiny countries like Mauritania and Tajikistan.

India`s ranking fell from a decade-high ranking of 74 to a low of 84 in 2020. The 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 Henley Passport Index website provides comprehensive lists of the countries one can access visa-free, with an electronic visa (e-Visa), with a visa on arrival, or with a normal visa.

In a statement released last week, Henley Passport Index said Asian countries have firmly established their lead.

For the third consecutive year, Japan has secured the top spot on the index, which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 191.

Singapore holds on to its 2nd place position with a score of 190, while South Korea drops a rank to 3rd place alongside Germany, giving their passport holders access to 189 destinations worldwide.

The US and the UK continue their downward trajectory on the index`s rankings. While both countries remain in the top 10, their shared 8th place position is a significant decline from the number one spot they jointly held in 2015.

In the top 10, Finland and Italy share 4th place, while Denmark, Luxembourg, and Spain together hold 5th place.

The statement said that the index`s historic success story remains the steady ascent of the UAE, which has climbed a remarkable 47 places over the past 10 years and now sits in 18th place.

On the other end of the travel freedom spectrum, Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the index, with its nationals able to visit only 26 destinations visa-free.