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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report so far.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that nations are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

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

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

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

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities detained 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 former ambassador says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

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