Why the National Passport Is Falling in Global Ranking

In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five among 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

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

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), yet the country's position during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has increased the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to the 85th position in October following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

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

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

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

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors like the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, India's passport ranking.