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Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

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

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom 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 for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as the security level of a national passport 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 and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.