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

Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – fell to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions plus its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

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

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like the security level 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 faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a small chip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.