Why the National Passport Is Falling in Worldwide Standing

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

He mentioned although nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – 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 remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

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

For example, in 2014 – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians 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 (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning countries are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per recent analysis, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.