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Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed India in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

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

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

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

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (52), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.