The Reasons Behind India's Indian Passport Is Falling in Global Ranking

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

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan 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 the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report so far.

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

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning countries are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, including its economic and political stability as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.