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Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

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.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds what it was in 2015 (52), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into 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 without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – fell to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

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

Factors such as the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador 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 contains a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty 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, India's passport ranking.