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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 Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report yet.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as 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. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

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

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds what it was in 2015 (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements like how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.