WHAT IS MEANT BY A POWERFUL PASSPORT?

The Passport Rankings are released every year by Henley & Partners, a London-based immigration consultancy. Through this ranking, it is known that the passport of which country is powerful and which country is weak. Having a powerful passport means that the more powerful the passport of the country, the more citizens of that country will be free to visit and roam more and more countries around the world without visas. As Japan is one number this year, people here can travel to 193 countries of the world without a visa.

HOW PASSPORT RANKING IS DECIDED

To release this list of powerful passports, 'Hanley & Partners have included 227 countries of the world. The passport is then ranked based on data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Various factors are taken into consideration to decide this ranking. For example, if a country's passport holders do not require a visa, then that country's passport is given the number one score. Along with this, many other factors related to visas and foreign travel play an important role in deciding the passport ranking of the country.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF A STRONG AND WEAK PASSPORT?

A powerful passport means that a citizen of that country has the right to travel to more countries in the world without a visa. In contrast, people from countries with weak passports can travel to very few countries without a visa. For example, the people of Japan living number one can visit 193 countries of the world without a visa. At the same time, the people of Afghanistan, who ranked 109th in this ranking, can roam only 27 countries without a passport.

TOP 10 COUNTRIES WITH MOST POWERFUL PASSPORTS OF 2023

1. Japan - 193 country

2. Singapore, South Korea - 192 countries

3. Germany, Spain - 190 countries

4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg - 189 countries

5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden - 188 countries

6. France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom - 187 countries

7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Nations - 186 countries

8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta - 185 countries

9. Hungary, Poland - 184 countries

10. Lithuania, Slovakia - 183 countries

Coming to India, according to the reports, the Indian passport is ranked 85th in the World's Most Powerful Passport Index 2023 and gives visa-free entry to 59 destinations across the world. In 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 India was ranked 82nd, 84th, 85th, and 83rd respectively.

Indian passport holders can travel visa-free to 59 destinations such as Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Macao, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Iran, and Qatar. However, you may need a visa on arrival in some countries

Talking about the weaker passports, Afghanistan's passport is the weakest passport in the world, ranking 109th with a visa-free score of 27. Syria ranks 107th with a visa-free score of 30. At 106th position, Pakistan features in the list of the top 5 weakest passports in the world with a visa-free score of 32. Yemen ranks 105th with a visa-free score. 34's.