China Passport Index Rises to 104 well Above the 124 for India

Chinese travellers are gaining easier access to destinations worldwide, even as they still require visas for more countries than they can enter freely

· The strength of the Chinese passport has improved steadily in recent years, according to the 2026 Global Passport Index released by London-based consultancy Global Citizen Solutions.

· China's passport ranking improved from 117th in 2021 to 104th in 2026 among 197 countries and territories.

· The consultancy attributed the improvement to gains across multiple areas, including:

o International mobility,

o Investment attractiveness, and

o Quality of life.

· China recorded notable progress in the investment category, reflecting its growing economic influence and global investment appeal.

· The report highlighted that every evaluation pillar improved simultaneously, describing China's progress as consistent across all indicators.

· Although China's passport remains relatively low-ranked, its holders still face more visa restrictions than visa-free destinations.

· China has significantly expanded visa-free entry for foreign nationals, with the number of eligible countries increasing rapidly since 2023.

· More than 50 countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, and most European nations, have been granted unilateral visa-free access to China.

· Several countries, including Cambodia, Russia, Türkiye, and the Philippines, have also introduced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens over the past year.

· China's economy has maintained annual growth of around 5% over the past three years, supporting greater international mobility.

· Chinese outbound travel is projected to reach 165–175 million trips in 2026, up from an estimated 155 million trips in 2025.

· The report noted that stronger economies generally enjoy more powerful passports because countries view them as posing lower immigration risks and are more likely to offer reciprocal visa-free access.

· In the 2026 Global Passport Index, Sweden ranked first, while Singapore was the only Asian country in the top 10. Afghanistan ranked last.

[ABS News Service/03.07.2026]

The strength of a Chinese passport has risen steadily in recent years based on people’s mobility, investments and quality of life, a London-based immigration consultancy said.

The passport climbed to 104th this year from 117th in 2021, in a ranking of 197 countries and territories by the investment migration and relocation consultancy Global Citizen Solutions.

While its status had risen from a “low base” and Chinese travellers still faced more closed borders than open ones, Global Citizen Solutions said the country had moved ahead in “investment”, reflecting its growing “economic gravity”.

Visa-free access to China also expanded for citizens of other countries “faster than the rest of the world could outpace it”, the consultancy added.

Quality of life, historically the weakest metric for China among those considered by Global Citizen Solutions, had also risen.

“What makes the trajectory so striking is its uniformity,” the consultancy said in a statement on Wednesday. “Every pillar moved in the same direction at once.”

“China has converted its rising weight into passport power one edition at a time,” it added, referring to the consultancy’s annual rankings since 2021.

Henley & Partners, the British residence and citizenship planning firm, said in a 2023 report that countries often frowned on passports from poorly developed economies because their citizens were perceived as posing a heightened risk of illegal immigration. Governments might also be partial to nations that offered reciprocal visa-free entries.

China’s economy has expanded at about 5 per cent annually over the past three years. Outbound travel would reach 165 million to 175 million trips this year, up from an estimated 155 million in 2025, the travel marketing and technology firm China Trading Desk forecast.

With an eye towards boosting consumption, China has unilaterally added 50 countries to its visa-free entry scheme since 2023, including Australia, Canada, Japan and most of Europe.

Cambodia, Russia, Turkey and the Philippines have also rolled out visa-free entries for Chinese citizens over the past year.

Sweden ranked No 1 in the consultancy’s 2026 Global Passport Index while Singapore was the only Asian country in the top 10. Afghanistan came in last.