Why the National Passport Is Falling in Global Ranking

Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report so far.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

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. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

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

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for 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, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.