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Earlier this year, an online clip by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

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

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has expanded its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip that stores biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

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