World's Most Powerful Passports in 2023: Japan Ranks the 1st, India in the 85th Position

Written by: Arjita

Edited by: krutarth

Last Updated: January 11, 2023

The Henley Passport Index 2023 reveals that for five consecutive years, the Japanese passport retains the most powerful passport status among others in the world. For 2023, a Japanese passport also allows you to travel visa-free to 193 out of 227 countries. As for holders of an Indian passport, visiting visa-free is possible to 59 destinations. In 2022, it was 60 destinations. However, India has moved up by 2 spots as compared to the statistics of the last year. The country is currently positioned at the rank of 85 on the index. That is some amount of improvement for the Indian passport performance.

As with the Indian passport, the counterparts that are equally powerful are Uzbekistan and Mauritanian passports. According to the Henley Passport Index, out of 227 destinations, visa-free travel is allowed to 192 nations by South Korea and Singapore, and both hold the second position in the ranking. They are followed by Span and Germany, where travel in similar aspects is permitted to 190 destinations.

Whereas, you can travel to 189 nations if you hold a passport from Italy, Luxembourg, or Finland. Also, as per the Henley Index, the most powerful passports for 2023 to travel without a visa to 188 countries are Denmark, Sweden, Austria, and the Netherlands. The same for 187 nations are France, United Kingdom, Portugal, and Ireland.

If you want to travel to 186 nations visa-free, then you must hold a passport from the Czech Republic, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand, the United States, or Switzerland. Those with passports from Malta, Canada, Greece, or Australia can travel the same to 185 countries, while 184 nations are accessible visa-free if you have a passport from Poland or Hungary. 183 nations can be reached devoid of visas on passports of Slovakia and Lithuania.

Now, the bottom 10 spots for the least powerful passport according to the Henley Index are Afghanistan giving access to 27 nations without visas. The same is 29, 30, and 32 if you have a passport from Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan, respectively. If you hold a passport to Somalia, Yemen, and North Korea, then without a visa, you can travel to 35, 34, and 40 destinations, respectively.

If you have a passport from the Palestinian Territory and Nepal, you can go to 38 destinations free of visa. And with a passport from Libya, Kosovo, or Bangladesh, you can travel to 41 countries, whereas if you have a passport from Lebanon, Sudan, Sri Lanka, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, then you can travel to 42 destinations.

Japan's passport was ranked as the most powerful passport in the world, allowing its holders to visit 191 countries visa-free. On the other hand, India was ranked in the 85th position in the list.

Despite this, India has been working towards securing more visa-free agreements to make travel easier for its citizens. As international relations evolve and countries open their borders for travel, it's possible that India's position could improve in the coming years. However, As per my knowledge cutoff, Japan's passport remained the most powerful and India is far away from the top position.

Being on the list of the most powerful passport can have many benefits for a country, such as increased tourism and trade, as well as enhancing the image of the country in the global arena. But it's also important to note that visa policies can change rapidly, so it's important to check the latest ranking in 2023 for the most up-to-date information about the passport power of different countries.