Why India's National Passport Continues to Drop in Worldwide Standing

In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, 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, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note 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 a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – 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 that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.