France Tops 2024 Henley Passport Index; India Slips to 85th Place

In the latest release of the Henley Passport Index for 2024, France has secured the top position, with its passport granting visa-free access to 194 countries. Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain also rank highly alongside France.

India, however, has slipped one spot from last year, now ranking 85th despite an increase in visa-free access to 62 countries, up from 60 the previous year. This decline may surprise some, especially considering recent announcements from Iran, Malaysia, and Thailand offering visa-free entry for Indian tourists.

Pakistan maintains its position at 106th place, while Bangladesh has slipped to 102nd. Meanwhile, India’s neighbour, the Maldives, holds strong at 58th place, with passport holders enjoying visa-free travel to 96 countries.

The Henley Passport Index, utilizing data from the International Air Transport Association, tracks passport strength across 199 different passports and 227 travel destinations. This data highlights significant changes in global mobility over the past two decades, with the average number of visa-free countries nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 111 this year.

The index serves as a global standard for citizens’ travel freedom and is updated monthly to reflect evolving international travel conditions.