India's passport is ranked 84th in the October 2026 edition of the Henley Passport Index. The latest ranking, dated October 9, 2026, places India alongside Algeria and Mauritania. Indian passport holders can now visit 55 destinations without getting a visa in advance. The new rank is one place better than October 2025, when India stood at 85th. But it is a drop from July 2026, when India was at 81st. Singapore, meanwhile, has once again held on to the top spot as the world's most powerful passport. Singapore leads the October 2026 list with access to 193 destinations. Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates share second place, with access to 188 destinations each. The UAE's place near the top is worth noting. It entered the top 10 only a few years ago and has kept climbing since. The top of the list is now led by Asian and Gulf countries. Twenty years ago, the United States held the number one spot. In 2026, the US passport has been ranked around 10th. India's rank has moved up and down several times this year. It began 2026 at 80th in January and climbed to 75th in February, its best position of the year. It then slipped to 81st in July, when it also had access to 55 destinations. In October, it fell further to 84th. The bigger worry is the falling score. Indian citizens can now enter 55 destinations without a prior visa, two fewer than in October 2025, when the number stood at 57. Also Read: Travel Influencer Animesh Pradhan Says Vietnam Can Make Indians Feel Like Crorepatis Two changes earlier this year pulled the number down. Iran suspended visa-free entry for Indian nationals, and Bolivia replaced visa on arrival for Indians with an e-visa. Since an e-visa has to be applied for before travel, Bolivia no longer counts in India's tally. So how can India's rank improve from last October while its score drops? The Henley index is a comparative ranking. A country's position depends not just on its own score but also on the scores of every other country. If other passports lose access too, India can move up even as its own access shrinks. The index is published by Henley & Partners, a London-based firm. It ranks 199 passports across 227 destinations, using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The Henley score is not simply a count of countries you can enter with just a passport. It combines three types of access: The ranking only measures short visits. It does not tell you whether a citizen of a country can get a work visa, a student visa or permanent residency abroad. Even in visa-free countries, travellers may still need a return ticket, hotel booking or proof of funds. According to the Henley Passport Index 2026, destinations listed as visa-free for Indian passport holders include: • Asia: Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Macao, Malaysia, Nepal and Thailand • Caribbean: Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago • Pacific: the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Niue and Vanuatu