India’s passport has slipped on the Henley Index chart: Is that a worry?
India has dropped five spots to 85th position in the league table of Henley’s Passport Index for 2025. It allows visa-free entry to 57 countries, down from 62 last year. This count includes those that offer visas on arrival and serves as a yardstick for the influence of a country’s passport.
Seen that way, the drop is not a good sign for Indian citizens. In recent decades, more nations have begun to welcome visitors from India without screening them, as visa issuance involves, before departure. This has been taken as a response to our increasing prosperity.
However, a rise in xenophobic impulses around the world, especially in the West, have made some countries less welcoming. Many continue to vet our visa applicants to check if they might be economic refugees in the guise of holidayers.
It takes time for reputations to change. Citizens of the Asian countries that top the index—Singapore is No. 1, with its passport granting easy access to 193 countries and South Korea is second with 190—were once in the same boat as Indians. Today, our elite is full of actual globetrotters, but the power of our passport is held back by the emigration efforts of people who lead hardscrabble lives.
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