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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Planning to travel abroad on business or pleasure purpose? Well, the bad news is that you would most probably need to go through all the visa hassles.
While Indians need visa to enter almost all countries, there are some nations whose citizens can travel to almost anywhere without any restriction.
Let us have a look at 30 countries, including India, and see how many countries their citizens can visit without a visa, according to Henley and Partners' Henley Visa Restrictions Index - Global Ranking 2011.
Note: The score means the number of countries citizens of that country can travel to without a visa.
India
Rank: 78
Score: 53
India has formal diplomatic relations with most nations, as the world's second most populous country and the world's most-populous democracy and recently as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Pakistan
Rank: 99
Score: 31
Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India in the east; Afghanistan and Iran in the west; and China in the far northeast.
In the north, Tajikistan lies adjacent to Pakistan but is separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor. In addition, Oman is also located in maritime vicinity and shares a marine border with Pakistan.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Denmark
Rank: 1
Score: 173
Denmark, with a mixed market economy and a large welfare state, ranks as having the world's highest level of income equality.
It has frequently ranked as the happiest and least corrupt country in the world.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Sweden
Rank: 1
Score: 173
In 2010, the World Economic Forum ranked Sweden as the second most competitive country in the world, after Switzerland.
Sweden has been a member of the European Union since 1 January 1995 and is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Finland
Rank: 1
Score: 173
It is the eighth-largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Germany
Rank: 2
Score: 172
With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
The United Kingdom
Rank: 3
Score: 171
The United Kingdom is a developed country and has the world's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and seventh-largest economy by purchasing power parity.
It was the world's first industrialised country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
The Netherlands
Rank: 3
Score: 171
In May 2011, the Netherlands was ranked as the "happiest" country according to results published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Luxembourg
Rank: 3
Score: 171
Luxembourg is a member of the European Union, NATO, OECD, the United Nations, and Benelux, reflecting the political consensus in favour of economic, political, and military integration.
The city of Luxembourg, the largest and capital city, is the seat of several institutions and agencies of the EU.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
France
Rank: 3
Score: 171
France is a founding member of the United Nations, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and a member of the Francophonie, the G8, G20, Nato, OECD, WTO and the Latin Union.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Belgium
Rank: 3
Score: 171
Historically, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were known as the Low Countries, which used to cover a somewhat larger area than the current Benelux group of states.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Italy
Rank: 3
Score: 171
Italy plays a prominent role in European and global military, cultural and diplomatic affairs. The country's European political, social and economic influence make it a major regional power.
The country has a high public education level and is a highly globalised nation.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Spain
Rank: 4
Score: 170
It is a developed country with the twelfth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP, and high living standards, including the tenth-highest quality of life index rating in the world.
It is a member of the United Nations, European Union, Nato, OECD, and WTO.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Japan
Rank: 4
Score: 170
A major economic power, Japan has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and third-largest economy by purchasing power parity.
It is also the world's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Norway
Rank: 4
Score: 170
Norway has extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, fresh water, and hydropower.
On a per-capita basis, it is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas outside the Middle East, and the petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the country's gross domestic product.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Portugal
Rank: 4
Score: 170
Portugal is a developed country with an advanced and high-income economy, with a very high Human Development Index.
It has the world's 19th-highest quality-of-life, one of the top health care systems, and it's also one of the world's most globalised and peaceful nations.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Ireland
Rank: 5
Score: 169
In 2005 the Republic of Ireland was ranked the best place to live in the world according to a "quality of life" assessment by The Economist magazine.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
The United States
Rank: 5
Score: 169
The country accounts for 41 per cent of global military spending, and is a leading economic, political, and cultural force in the world.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Austria
Rank: 6
Score: 168
Austria is one of the richest countries in the world, with a nominal per capita GDP of $48,350 (2011 estimate).
The country has developed a high standard of living and in 2011 was ranked 19th in the world for its Human Development Index.
Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, joined the European Union in 1995, and is a founder of the OECD.
Austria also signed the Schengen Agreement in 1995, and adopted the European currency, the Euro, in 1999.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Switzerland
Rank: 7
Score: 167
In nominal terms, Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world by per capita gross domestic product, with a nominal per capita GDP of $75,835.
In 2010, Switzerland had the highest wealth per adult of any country in the world (with $372,692 for each person).
Switzerland also has one of the world's largest account balances as a percentage of GDP.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
New Zealand
Rank: 8
Score: 166
New Zealand is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Commonwealth of Nations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Pacific Islands Forum and the United Nations.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Australia
Rank: 8
Score: 166
Australia is the world's thirteenth-largest economy and has the world's sixth-highest per capita income. Australia's military expenditure is the world's twelfth largest.
With the second-highest human development index globally, Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Greece
Rank: 8
Score: 166
A developed country with an advanced, high-income economy and very high standards of living, Greece has been a member of what is now the European Union since 1981 and the eurozone since 2001, NATO since 1952, and the European Space Agency since 2005.
It is also a founding member of the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Canada
Rank: 9
Score: 164
One of the world's most highly-developed countries, Canada has a diversified economy that is reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade - particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Iceland
Rank: 9
Score: 164
Iceland has a free market economy with relatively low taxes compared to other OECD countries, while maintaining a Nordic welfare system providing universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Singapore
Rank: 9
Score: 164
Singapore is a world leader in several areas: It is the world's fourth-leading financial centre, the world's second-biggest casino gambling market, and the world's third-largest oil refining centre.
The port of Singapore is one of the five busiest ports in the world, most notable for being the busiest transshipment port in the world.
The country is home to more US dollar millionaire households per capita than any other country.
The World Bank notes Singapore as the easiest place in the world to do business.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
South Korea
Rank: 10
Score: 163
It is Asia's fourth-largest economy and the world's 15th (nominal) or 12th (purchasing power parity) largest economy.
The economy is export-driven, with production focusing on electronics, automobiles, ships, machinery, petrochemicals and robotics.
South Korea is a member of the United Nations, WTO, OECD and G-20 major economies. It is also a founding member of APEC and the East Asia Summit.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Malta
Rank: 11
Score: 160
Malta is internationally renowned as a tourist resort, with numerous recreational areas and historical monuments, including nine Unesco World Heritage Sites, most prominently the Megalithic Temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Malaysia
Rank: 12
Score: 158
Malaysia is a relatively open state-oriented and newly industrialised market economy. The state plays a significant but declining role in guiding economic activity through macroeconomic plans.
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30 countries that face most or least visa restrictions
Liechtenstein
Rank: 12
Score: 158
Liechtenstein is the smallest yet the richest (by measure of GDP per capita) German-speaking country in the world and the only country to lie entirely within the Alps.
It is known as a principality as it is a constitutional monarchy headed by a prince.