The Reasons Behind the Indian Passport Continues to Drop in Worldwide Standing

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

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

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

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

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

As an instance, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was eight years ago (52), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.