The Reasons Behind India's National Passport Continues to Drop in Global Ranking

Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned although nearby nations such as 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.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

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

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (52), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions plus its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.