Why the National Passport Is Falling in Worldwide Standing

In recent months, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access 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 the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), but the country's position during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

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

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Khalistan 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. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

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