India’s passport falls to 85th rank in world's most powerful passports index
New Delhi: India has slipped to 85th place out of 199 countries in the latest 2025 Henley Passport Index, released on Wednesday, down from 77th in July.
The quarterly report, published by citizenship and residence consultancy Henley and Partners, ranks passports based on the number of countries their holders can enter without a pre-departure visa.
According to the index, Indian passport holders can now travel visa-free to 57 countries, a decline from 62 countries last year when India was ranked 80th. Countries allowing visa-free entry to Indians include Angola, Barbados, Bhutan, Bolivia, British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, among others.
Among India’s neighbours, Pakistan ranked 103rd, down from 96th in July; Bangladesh stood at 100th; Nepal at 101st; and Bhutan at 92nd.
Singapore retained its position as the world’s strongest passport, with citizens able to travel to 193 countries without a pre-departure visa. South Korea ranked second with access to 190 destinations, followed by Japan with 189.
For the first time in the index’s 20-year history, the United States fell out of the top 10 most powerful passports.
At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan holds the least powerful passport, granting visa-free access to only 24 countries, followed by Syria with 26 and Iraq with 29 visa-free destinations.
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Three of family killed as car overturns in Mandya
Mandya (PTI): Three members of a family, two of them women, were killed when the car they were travelling in overturned and fell into a ditch on Sunday, police said.
The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a bridge on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru National Highway at Nagamangala in Mandya district, police added.
The deceased were identified as Chandregowda (62) and Sarojamma (57), both residents of Chikkamagaluru. They were returning to their hometown when the accident occurred, police sources said.
In another incident near Agaralinganna Doddi in Maddur taluk, a private bus overturned on a service road, injuring more than 30 people. Locals helped rescue the passengers after the accident.
The passengers were travelling to Bengaluru after visiting the Shimsha Maramma temple in Malavalli. The injured were taken to hospitals in Mandya and Maddur for treatment.
