The Reasons Behind India's Indian 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 on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five among 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning countries are forming 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, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.