The Reasons Behind India's National Passport Is Falling in Global Ranking

In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Countries 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, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was eight years ago (52), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say 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 visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating 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 in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.