World's most powerful passports in 2023, India climbs up two spots

2023 Henley Passport Index is out for the year, with Japan grabbing the first spot for the fifth year in a row. The passport index has ranked India at the 85th position, meaning that Indian passport holders can access 59 countries without needing a visa. India has climbed up in the ranking by two positions from the past year, when it was at the 87th position. Those holding Japan's passports can access 193 countries without requiring a visa.

The passport index is based on data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), and includes 199 different passports in its comparison, which are measured against access to 227 travel destinations across the world. It is also updated quarterly every year, and the current rankings are for the first quarter of 2023.
The top 10 countries in the list are:
1. Japan
2. Singapore
3. South Korea
4. Germany
5. Spain
6. Finland
7. Italy
8. Luxembourg
9. Austria
10. Denmark

Singapore and South Korea passports, at the 2nd position, give visa-free access to 192 countries. Afghanistan, with the unrest that the nation is going through, is at the bottom of the index at 109 position. Only 27 countries allow passport holders of Afghanistan visa-free access.