Top 10 most and least powerful passports in 2026: Where does Indian passport rank on Henley Passport Index?

Henley Passport Index 2026: In an increasingly interconnected world, a passport plays a decisive role in global mobility.

London-based the Henley Passport Index 2026, which ranks passports based on visa-free access to destinations, has ranked Singapore as the country with the ‘world’s most powerful passport’.

The residents of Singapore enjoy visa-free access to 192 destinations. Strengthening Asia’s dominance, Japan and South Korea follow next to Singapore — both tied for second place — enjoying visa-free access to 188 countries in 2026.

On the other hand, Afghanistan, which grants access to only 24 destinations without a prior visa, is placed at the bottom of the list.

The report highlighted a 168-destination gap, revealing the growing inequality in global mobility over the past two decades, with the difference between the highest-ranked passport in 2006, the US, and the lowest-ranked, Afghanistan, being only 118 destinations.

The top rankings are primarily led by European passports, with notable exceptions such as the UAE, which climbed 57 positions in the index over the last two decades to be placed at the fifth spot and has visa-free access to 184 destinations.

Australia, Canada, and Malaysia are featured among the top 10, with the US making a comeback this year at 10th, after briefly slipping for the first time in late 2025.

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World’s 10 most powerful passports in the world 2026:

Top 10 Most Powerful Passports 2026

Henley Passport Index | Visa-Free Access

1st

Singapore

192 Visa-Free Destinations

2nd

Japan, South Korea

188 Visa-Free Destinations

3rd

Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

186 Visa-Free Destinations

4th

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway

185 Visa-Free Destinations

5th

Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates

184 Visa-Free Destinations

6th

Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, Poland

183 Visa-Free Destinations

7th

Australia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom

182 Visa-Free Destinations

8th

Canada, Iceland, Lithuania

181 Visa-Free Destinations

9th

Malaysia

180 Visa-Free Destinations

10th

United States

179 Visa-Free Destinations

Indian Express InfoGenIE

World’s 10 least powerful passports in the world 2026:

Top 10 Least Powerful Passports 2026

Henley Passport Index | Visa-Free Access

101st

Afghanistan

24 Visa-Free Destinations

100th

Syria

26 Visa-Free Destinations

99th

Iraq

29 Visa-Free Destinations

98th

Pakistan, Yemen

31 Visa-Free Destinations

97th

Somalia

33 Visa-Free Destinations

96th

Nepal

35 Visa-Free Destinations

95th

Bangladesh

37 Visa-Free Destinations

94th

Eritrea, North Korea, Palestinian Territory

38 Visa-Free Destinations

93rd

Libya, Sri Lanka

39 Visa-Free Destinations

92nd

Iran

40 Visa-Free Destinations

Indian Express InfoGenIE

Where does the Indian passport rank?

Indian Passport (Express Archive)

The Indian passport on the Henley Passport Index ranked relatively higher in the 2000s; however, it saw a steady decline in the subsequent years.

In 2026, it was ranked 80th globally, moving up five positions from last year.

Allowing visa–free access to 55 countries, this five-rank rise indicates a gradual recovery in India’s passport strength after several years of stagnation in the low-to-mid 80s.

Indian passport’s ranking on the Henley Passport Index over the years

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