The Passport Index is an interactive online tool developed by Arton Capital, a global financial advisory firm specialising in investor programs for residency and citizenship.1 It provides a real-time, global ranking of the world’s passports based primarily on the travel freedom they offer.
🔑 Key Concepts
| Term | Definition |
| Issuer | Arton Capital (Financial advisory firm). |
| Scope | Ranks passports from 193 United Nations member countries and 6 territories (199 total). |
| Passport Power Rank | The final ranking position of a passport. |
| Mobility Score (MS) | The core metric. It represents the total number of countries a passport holder can visit without a visa or by obtaining a visa on arrival/eTA. |
| Visa-Free (VF) | No prior permission is required for entry. |
| Visa On Arrival (VOA) | Permission is obtained at the point of entry (e.g., the airport). |
| eTA / eVisa | Electronic Travel Authorization or Electronic Visa, which is typically required but easily processed online before departure. |
| World Openness Score (WOS) | A measure of global ease of travel, calculating all visa waivers in the world. |
📊 Ranking Methodology (Three-Tier Method)
Arton Capital’s ranking is determined via a three-tier method:
- Mobility Score: Passports are ranked first by their overall Mobility Score (MS).
- Visa-Free Ratio: The passport’s rank is then refined by the ratio of Visa-Free access versus Visa On Arrival access (VF is weighted higher than VOA).
- Tie-Breaker: The United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index (UNDP HDI) is used as a final tie-breaker to measure a country’s global perception and development.
🏅 Passport Index 2025 Highlights
| Rank | Country/Passport | Mobility Score (MS) | Note |
| 1st | United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 179 | Retains the top spot for the seventh consecutive year. |
| 2nd | Singapore, Spain | 175 | Tied. Asia and Europe demonstrate strong mobility. |
| 3rd | Belgium, France, Germany, etc. | 174 | A large group of European and some Asian nations. |
| 9th | United States of America (USA) | 168 | Dropped in rank and mobility score compared to previous years. |
| India | 67th (Global Rank) | 73 (Mobility Score) | India’s rank reflects its mobility to 73 countries (VF/VOA/eTA). (Note: India’s rank varies slightly depending on the ranking index and date of update.) |
| Bottom | Afghanistan | Lowest score | Consistently among the weakest in global mobility. |
