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Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

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

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

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, eight years ago – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access 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, 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 number of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, including its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines 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 contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.