In the mid-year update of 2025, India jumped 8 places in the passport rankings and secured 77th position. This indicates that Indian passport holders can now travel in 59 countries without a visa. This is the biggest jump of any country in the last 6 months, even though the number of visa-free countries of India has increased only two.
Global passport rankings
Singapore has once again retained the top position, its citizens can go without visas in 193 out of 227 countries.
Japan and South Korea are second with visa-free access to 190 countries.
Seven European countries including France, Germany, Italy are third.
New Zealand, Greece and Switzerland are jointly fifth.
The UK has now slipped to the sixth and US 10th place. This is the first time the US is on the verge of being out of the top 10.
Big emergence of UAE, China and Saudi Arabia
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has increased from 42nd to 8th in the last 10 years. This is the fastest progress of any country.
China has also jumped 34 places to get 60th position. China now gives visa-free entry to more than 75 countries, while the number was less than 20 years ago.
In 2025, Gulf countries like Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and South American countries like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay have joined the visa-free list of China.
Asia-Pacific becomes new center of air travel
According to the IATA (International Air Transport Association), the Asia-Pacific sector increased by 9.5% in the first 5 months of 2025.
IATA chief Willy Walsh said, “Even though there are economic and geopolitical uncertainty, there is confidence in the passengers. Summer booking is going well.”
Visa Type Country Name Total Countries E-Visa Facility Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain*, Benin, Colombia, Colombia, Cote D’Ivoire, Djibouti, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyzakhzstan, Kyrogiazstan Republic, Lesotho, Malaysia, Moldova, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey*, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia 25 Visa-FREE BARBADOS, Bhutan, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Hong Kong, Maldives, Mauritius, Monserrat, Nepal, Niue Island, Saint Vincent & The Grenadines, Samoa, Senegal, Serbia, Trinidad & Tobago 16 Visa-O-Aerry Angola, Bolivia, Cabo Verde, Cameroon Union Republic, Cook Islands, FIJI, Guinea Bissau*, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kiribati, Laos, Madagascar, Maadagascar, Mauritania*16 Voa + E-Visa Kenya, Myanmar, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam, Ethiopia*, Cambodia, Qatar, Republic of Marshall Islands, Reunion Island*, RWANGA* Seychelles, somalia*, tunisia, tuvalu, vanuatu, zimbabwe 26
According to the Henley report, diplomatic relations, travel policies and economic strategies are changing globally, leading to heavy fluctuations in passport strength and rankings.
