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Earlier this year, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report yet.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to 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 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position in October following the loss of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

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

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

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

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.