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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has expanded the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

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

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.