The Reasons Behind the National Passport Continues to Drop in Worldwide Standing

In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report so far.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning countries are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has increased the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – fell to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted 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 of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a microchip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, India's passport ranking.