India’s global mobility declines as passport falls to 85th in world ranking
New Delhi: In yet another blow to India’s international standing, the Indian passport has dropped significantly in global mobility rankings, falling to 85th place in the latest Henley Passport Index released by the London-based Henley & Partners.
According to Kashmir Media Service, as per the Index, Indian passport holders can now travel visa-free to only 57 countries, a modest number that places India alongside Mauritania, and far behind other regional powers and global peers.
In sharp contrast, Singapore topped the 2025 ranking with access to 193 destinations without a visa, followed by South Korea (190) and Japan (189). China, once behind India in earlier indices, has surged ahead, now ranked at 64th, with its citizens enjoying visa-free access to 37 more destinations than a decade ago.
Beijing’s diplomatic outreach and strategic visa agreements with countries in Europe, South America, and the Gulf region have significantly boosted its travel freedom, with 30 new destinations added in a single year. The UAE also improved its position, now offering access to 184 destinations and rising to 8th place globally.
Meanwhile, both the United States and the United Kingdom saw further drops, now ranked 12th and 8th respectively—well below their past positions at the top of the index just a decade ago.
The dramatic fall in India’s passport ranking underlines a growing dissonance between the Modi regime’s rhetoric of global supremacy and the reality of its deteriorating international image.
Despite loud proclamations of “Vishwaguru” (world teacher) and repeated claims of growing global influence, India’s actual global mobility has declined, even as neighbours and strategic competitors—such as China, South Korea, and even the UAE—continue to expand their international access through diplomacy, trade partnerships, and non-alignment strategies.
Under the Hindutva-driven foreign policy of the BJP-RSS regime, India’s global image has taken a severe hit, with increasing reports of human rights violations, religious intolerance, and erosion of democratic institutions undercutting its soft power.
