The Reasons Behind India's National Passport Continues to Drop in Global Ranking
Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.
He mentioned that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.
This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.
Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.
Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.
Actually, India's rank in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.
Global Passport Power Indicates
Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.
But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.
For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.
The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.
The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape
The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position during both periods is 85. So, why is that?
Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.
For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.
In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss to two countries.
Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength
A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.
For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.
The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.
"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."
Factors like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.
Security and Technological Improvements
The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.
The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.
But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.