Global Passport Index 2026: Sweden tops list, India slips to 125th position

2 min readJul 7, 2026 03:52 PM IST

Within Europe, the Nordic states cluster at the apex: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway all rank in the top nine, joined by Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. (credit: unsplash)

Top 10 countries in the latest Global Passport Index 2026: Global Citizen Solutions released its comprehensive report ranking the overall passport strength of 197 countries worldwide. The published data evaluates nations across 14 distinct indicators, with the primary weightage distributed across three core pillars: Enhanced Mobility, Investment, and Quality of Living. Through this comprehensive, policy-aware evaluation system, the Global Passport Index effectively measures how a person’s country of origin directly limits or expands their everyday opportunities.

The findings of this report have remained fairly consistent. Sweden retains the top spot with an overall score of 96.05, while Afghanistan sits at the bottom of the list with an overall score of 23.10. Documenting the global travel landscape, the 2026 Global Passport Index shows a year marked by the rise of automated border control systems, a deliberate shift toward visa liberalization in Asia, and an ongoing, structural divide in global mobility that favors wealthier nations.

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Following Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, and Germany are positioned at No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4, respectively. The Netherlands and Denmark are tied, with both nations securing the 5th position. Ireland secured the 7th position, while the United Kingdom is positioned at No. 8. Norway came in at the 9th position, and Singapore closed out the top 10 list. Additionally, France and the USA are tied for the 11th position.

Meanwhile, India slipped to the 125th position this time around. In the 2025 rankings, India held the 124th position globally in the Global Citizen Solutions Global Passport Index. This stagnation is disappointing to note because, prior to 2025, India’s passport ranking stood at 127, indicating that the country’s global standing has not significantly improved over the years.

At the other end of the spectrum, the five weakest passports belong to the Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, and Afghanistan, ranking at the 193rd, 194th, 195th, 196th, and 197th positions, respectively.

Top 10 countries in the latest Global Passport Index 2026

Rank

Country

Sweden

Switzerland

Finland

Germany

The Netherlands

Denmark

Ireland

United Kingdom

Norway