Relevance: prelims/mains: G.S paper II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.
The Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information, and enhanced by ongoing research by the Henley & Partners Research Department.
With expert commentary and historical data spanning 14 years, the Henley Passport Index is an invaluable resource for global citizens and the standard reference tool for governments in this field.
Why in News?
The latest edition of Henley Passport Index has been released.
The Index ranks India at 86, down five places from 81 in 2018.
About the index:
- The Henley Passport Index (HPI) is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom for their citizens.
- The index gathers data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that manages inter-airline cooperation globally.
- The Henley Passport Index is updated in real time according to countries’ visa policy changes.
- It started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI)and was modified and renamed in January 2018.
- The HPI consists of a ranking of passports according to how many other territories can be reached ‘visa-free’.
What does this mean for Indian passport holders?
- India has a score of 58. That is the number of destinations an Indian passport holder can travel to today, without pre-departure government approval. That is the same as a citizen of any country, on an average, could travel to 13 years ago.
- In 2006, a citizen, on an average, could travel to 58 destinations without needing a visa from the host nation; by 2018, this number had nearly doubled to 107.
- India ranks below other BRICS countries, with which are at a similar stage in their economic development.
Significance of the index:
Passport rankings point towards the strength of diplomatic relations between countries.