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In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed India at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again 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 sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning countries are forming 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 almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two 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 77th on the index during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.