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Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India at position eighty-five among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has increased the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

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

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement arrested 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.