The Reasons Behind India's Indian Passport Continues to Drop in Global Ranking

Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians 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 access to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, including its economic and political stability plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.