Context
- Passport Index 2025 released in December 2025.
- Publisher: Arton Capital, a Canada-based global financial advisory firm.
- Ranks passports based on global mobility access.
Methodology
- Mobility Score (MS) =
- Number of destinations offering:
- Visa-Free access
- Visa-on-Arrival (VoA)
- Tie-Breaker:
- If Mobility Scores are equal, ranking is decided using the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI).
Top Rankings
Rank 1 – United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Position: 1st (for 7th consecutive year)
- Mobility Score: 179
- Visa-Free: 126 destinations
- Visa-on-Arrival: 45 countries
- Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA): 8 countries
- Reflects UAE’s strong diplomatic outreach and bilateral agreements.
Joint Rank 2 – Singapore & Spain
- Mobility Score: 175
- Demonstrates Asia–Europe leadership in travel freedom.
Rank 3 (Shared by 18 Countries) – MS: 174
Includes:
- Western & Northern Europe: Belgium, France, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, Italy
- Non-European: Malaysia
India’s Position
- Global Rank: 67
- Mobility Score: 74
- Visa-Free Access: 74 countries
- Covers about 37% of the world’s destinations
- Ranked alongside countries like Norway, Ireland, South Korea, and Japan (cluster positioning).
Individual Ranking System (Top 3)
- UAE
- Singapore
- Spain
Key Observations
- European countries dominate the top 20 rankings due to:
- Regional agreements (Schengen Area)
- High HDI scores
- Stable diplomatic relations
- Increasing use of ETA systems as an intermediate travel facilitation tool.
Bottom 5 Countries
- Afghanistan: Rank 94 (lowest)
- Mobility Score: 38
- Syria: 93
- Iraq: 92
- Pakistan: 91
- Somalia: 91
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
