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In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its position on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to the 85th position in October after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

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 of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.