2020 brought the travel industry to a halt. While we isolated inside our homes, our passports were also left unused. However, the updated Henley and Partners Passport Index of 2021 has come out with a new ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, and India ranks 85th on the new list.
Last year, India held 84th position. Indian passport got a score of 58, which means Indian passport holders get to visit 58 countries without a prior visa. India shared the rank with Tajikistan.
Japan, once again topped the list with a visa-free score of 191. The nation has been holding the position for three consecutive years, either solely or jointly, with Singapore. This year, Singapore sits at the second position with 190 countries.
As for the third position, another Asian country shared the spot with a European nation. South Korea and Germany got a total of 189 points. Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Germany together stand as the top three passports in the world.
The fourth position was shared by Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain with a visa-free score of 188. As for the UK and US passports, they constituted the top 10 powerful passports with 7th rank. Last year, both the passports shared the 8th rank.
Afghanistan’s passport got the last position this year too, and came out as the world’s worst passport with a score of 26. Pakistan, on the other hand, got fourth-last rank with a score of 32.
The list is determined on the number of countries a passport permits one to travel visa-free as a tourist, that means you will get visa-on-arrival. The current rankings do not account for the temporary restrictions that have been implemented due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Source: indiatoday.in)
