India's passport power slides to 85th rank among 199 countries in Henley Index

New Delhi: India’s passport power slipped to the 85th rank out of 199 countries, losing its global mobility, according to a quarterly report of the 2025 Henley Passport Index released on Wednesday.

The country previously stood at the 77th position in July.

The quarterly report of the index, released by citizenship and residence consultancy firm Henley & Partners, assesses the strength of passports by determining how many destinations citizens can visit without obtaining a visa beforehand.

While last year Indian passport holders could travel to 62 countries without a visa, the latest index shows that the number has dropped to 57.

Between 2006 and 2025, India recorded its lowest ranking of 90 in 2021 and its highest ranking of 71 in 2006.

Meanwhile, India’s neighbours, Pakistan ranked 103rd, a drop from its 96th position in July, while Bangladesh stood at 100th.

Singapore retained the top spot in the global passport index, with its citizens enjoying visa-free access to 193 destinations.

South Korea followed in second place with 190 visa-free destinations, while Japan secured the third position with access to 189 destinations.

For the first time in the index’s 20-year history, the United States has dropped out of the world’s top 10 most powerful passports.

Once ranked the strongest in 2014, the U.S. passport has seen a steady decline and now stands at 12th place, tied with Malaysia, offering visa-free access to 180 out of 227 destinations.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan continued to hold the weakest passport, with its citizens able to travel to only 24 countries without a visa.

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