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Earlier this year, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Nations 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 at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its position on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions plus its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

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

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip that stores biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.