The Reasons Behind the National Passport Is Falling in Worldwide Standing

Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report so far.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, 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 fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (52), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability plus its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary 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."

Factors such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a microchip that stores biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.