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

In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to Indian tourists, 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 recent global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th 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 for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip that stores biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.