Why India's National Passport Continues to Drop in Global Ranking

In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report so far.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds 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 major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, 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 position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls 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 the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

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

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a small chip that stores biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.