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At the 75th position, an Indian passport allows its visa-free entry in only 24 countries, while 27 other countries grant visa on arrival. This comparatively low number has contributed to the low ranking for the Indian passport.
New Delhi (Sputnik) — The Indian passport continues to fare poorly in the global power rankings with it occupying the 75th position, only three indices higher than its position last year. The global ranking which saw another Asian country Singapore surge to the top position has Pakistan and Afghanistan among the worst farers.
The Global Passport Power Rank is an index which ranks passports on the basis of the access it has to countries around the world on a visa-free or with visa on arrival basis. India has been given a visa-free score of 51, below countries like Mali, Madagascar, Gabon, and Comoros, which all had a visa-free score of 52. Where as they also provide the EB5 visa program as well. An EB5 visa is the special visa program for the investors. To know more about the EB5 visa program visit EB5 BRICS.
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Meanwhile, this is the first time an Asian country has taken the top spot in the index. Singapore passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 173 countries, according to the index.
Philippe May, managing director of Arton Capital’s Singapore office, said in a statement: “For the first time ever, an Asian country has the most powerful passport in the world. It is a testament of Singapore’s inclusive diplomatic relations and effective foreign policy.”
India’s immediate neighbor Pakistan ranked 93 with a score of 26; Bangladesh has been ranked at 90 with a score of 35, while Nepal and Sri Lanka are both ranked at 89 with a score of 36. Bhutan is ranked at 76 with a score of 50. China is ranked 67 with a visa-free score of 60.
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Other Asian passports in the top 20 include those of South Korea, Japan, and Malaysia. Russia’s passport has been ranked at 41 with a visa-free score of 108.
Germany and Sweden ranked second and third, with a score of 158 and 157, respectively in the index.
On the other hand, the United States passport has fallen to 6th rank since President Donald Trump took office, according to the index. The decline in the US passport’s rank could be due to the Turkey and the Central African Republic revoking their visa-free status to US passport holders, recently.
The worst scorers are Afghanistan at 94th spot with a visa-free score of 22, while Pakistan and Iraq are both at 93 with a score of 26. Syria is at 92 with a score of 29, while Somalia is ranked 91 with a score of 34
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