The Reasons Behind India's Indian Passport Is Falling in Global Ranking

In recent months, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

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

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has increased its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.