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Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

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

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has increased the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

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

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

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 diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. 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 the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.