The Reasons Behind the National Passport Continues to Drop in Global Ranking

In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (52), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – fell to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.