The Reasons Behind the Indian Passport Is Falling in Worldwide Standing

In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and international standing. 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 extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the global average count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

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

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

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 includes a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.