🔗 Share this article The Reasons Behind the Indian Passport Is Falling in Global Ranking The Indian passport holds 85th position among one hundred ninety-nine countries according to the Henley Passport Index Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media. He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult. Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year. Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far. Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order. In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions. Citizens of India have travel without visas to 57 countries What Passport Strength Measures The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel. However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has grown in the past decade or so. For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index. The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year. Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that? Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently. For example, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its position on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period. Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss of two nations. Singapore's passport is the most powerful globally Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries. For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs. The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country. "Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation." Factors like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations. Security and Technological Improvements The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing. The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document. But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.