In the world, passport is not just a paper for travel, but is also an identity of a country’s power and its diplomacy. In such an environment when visa rules are becoming stricter, Bangladesh suddenly took a step which surprised everyone. Questions began to arise whether his passport is now getting stronger or is the picture still the same? And where does it stand compared to India? Let us understand through figures.
What is the real measure of the strength of a passport?
The strength of any country’s passport is measured by how many countries its citizens can visit without obtaining a visa beforehand. Two types of facilities are counted in this – visa free entry and visa on arrival. Every year, London-based global citizenship firm Henley & Partners releases its famous Henley Passport Index, which is based on data from the International Air Transport Association.
According to the latest update of February 2026, Bangladeshi passport holders can get visa free or visa on arrival facility in about 37 to 42 countries. This number determines the global reach of a passport.
How much access does Bangladesh passport give?
According to statistics, Bangladesh passport comes between 93rd to 97th place in the world ranking. This means that its citizens have access to travel only to a limited number of countries. These 37-42 countries mostly include some small or medium countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. In big and developed countries like Europe, North America or Australia, Bangladeshi citizens have to obtain a visa in advance.
Recently, Bangladesh created a stir in diplomatic circles by relaxing the visa for North Korean citizens, but this has not had any major impact on the overall global ranking of its passport.
What is the ranking of India’s passport?
Now if we talk about India, the condition of Indian passport is better than that of Bangladesh. By February 2026, Indian passport holders can get visa free or visa on arrival facility in 56 countries. Talking about the ranking, India is at about 75th position, which is much above Bangladesh. This clearly means that Indian citizens get relatively more facilities in international travel.
The improved status of the Indian passport is also linked to India’s strong diplomatic ties and growing economic power. In the last few years, many countries have eased visa rules for Indian citizens, especially for tourism and business travel.
How big is the difference?
If we make a direct comparison, India gets visa free or visa on arrival facility in about 14 to 19 more countries than Bangladesh. There is a difference of about 15 to 20 places in the ranking also. This difference is not just a statistic, but also a reflection of trust, economic stability and international relationships at the global level. The strength of a passport indicates how much the world trusts a country’s citizens and how strong its relations with that country are.
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