The Reasons Behind India's National Passport Is Falling in Worldwide Standing

Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned although nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which 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, the country's position over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has increased its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

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

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.