Henley Passport Index 2026: Singapore Japan and South Korea have the world’s most powerful passports, India improves ranking
The annual Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
India improved its ranking in the Henley Passport Index 2026. (Photo: IStock)
Singapore has retained its position as the world’s most powerful passport for the third consecutive year in 2026. According to the Henley Passport Index 2026, which was released on Tuesday, the Singaporean passport allows a visa-free entry into 192 countries and destinations out of the 227 assessed by the Index.
World’s most powerful passports
Tied at the second spot are Japan and South Korea, with visa-free access to 188 destinations.
Singaporean passport allows a visa-free entry into 192 countries and destinations. (Photo: Unsplash)
Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland are at the third spot with their passports granting visa-free entry to 186 destinations.
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway shared the fourth spot in the Henley Passport Index 2026, with visa-free entry to 185 destinations. Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and the UAE completed the top 5 spots in this year’s Henley Passport Index, allowing visa-free entry to 184 destinations.
The United States slipped one spot in the ranking to settle for the 10th spot in the Henley Passport Index 2026, with the American passport granting visa-free entry to 179 destinations.
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India ranked 80th
India improved its ranking in the Henley Passport Index 2026 to 80, compared to the 85th rank the country had in 2025.
Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. (Photo: Unsplash)
The Indian passport grants holders visa-free entry to a total of 55 destinations around the world.
Neighbouring Pakistan also improved five spots in the 2026 ranking, from 103 in 2025 to 98 in 2026. With visa-free access to just 31 destinations, Pakistan continues to languish at the bottom of the rankings, along with Yemen.
Only Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan are ranked below Pakistan in the Henley Passport Index 2026.
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Henley Passport Index 2026
The annual Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The 2026 Henley Passport Index compared the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations.
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India improved its ranking in the Henley Passport Index 2026. (Photo: IStock) 
