Context
Henley & Partners, a British investment-migration consultancy, released the 20th anniversary edition of the Henley Passport Index on 21 July 2026. India dropped to 81st globally with access to 55 destinations, down from 75th in the February 2026 edition, sharing the rank with Mauritania and Algeria.
Top of the Index
- 1st — Singapore: 192 destinations.
- 2nd — Japan, South Korea and the UAE: 188 destinations.
- 3rd — Sweden: 187 destinations.
- The UAE’s rise is the standout story, reflecting sustained diplomatic engagement and visa liberalisation, overtaking several Western states.
Bottom of the Index
- Afghanistan remains lowest, with access to only 22 destinations.
- Syria (103rd, 25), Iraq (102nd, 28), Pakistan (101st, 29) and Yemen (100th, 30) complete the bottom five.
Methodology
- Uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
- Covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.
- Counts visa-free, visa-on-arrival and Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) access — not e-visas requiring prior approval.
- Updated periodically through the year, which is why rankings move between editions.
India’s Twenty-Year Journey
- 2006: 71st at the index’s launch.
- Slipped to 82nd by 2012, briefly improved to 74th in 2013.
- Weakest ever: 90th in 2021 (pandemic-era restrictions).
- Recovered to 80th in 2024, slipped to 85th in 2025, and now 81st in 2026.
- Net effect: India is worse off in rank than in 2006, even though the world as a whole has become more mobile.
Practice MCQs
Q1. With reference to the Henley Passport Index 2026, consider the following statements:
- India ranked 81st with access to 55 destinations, down from 75th in the February 2026 edition.
- Singapore retained the top position with visa-free access to 192 destinations.
- The index uses data from the International Air Transport Association and covers 199 passports and 227 destinations.
- Afghanistan ranked lowest in the index, with access to only 22 destinations.
How many of the above statements are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None
Q2. With reference to the Henley Passport Index and related concepts, consider the following statements:
- The index counts visa-free, visa-on-arrival and Electronic Travel Authorization access, but not e-visas requiring prior approval.
- Since the index’s launch in 2006, average visa-free access has risen from 58 to 108 destinations.
- The Henley Openness Index measures how many nationalities a country admits without a prior visa.
- The Henley Passport Index is compiled and published by the International Air Transport Association.
How many of the above statements are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None
Answer Key
- (d) — All four statements are correct.
- (c) — Statements 1, 2, 3 are correct; Statement 4 is wrong because the index is compiled by Henley & Partners, a British investment-migration consultancy; it merely uses IATA data.
