Why India's Indian Passport Is Falling in Worldwide Standing

Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.