The Reasons Behind India's Indian Passport Is Falling in Worldwide Standing

Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement on the report yet.

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

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 when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count 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 enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

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

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

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

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement arrested 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

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