According to the Passport Index 2023 published by financial advisory services company Arton Capital, the Indian passport fell six positions since its last recorded position in 2022, recording the sharpest decline globally
The country, currently ranks 144th with a mobility score of 70 as opposed to 138th position out of 199 nations in 2022. The score denotes the total number of countries that can be easily accessed with a given passport. India's score in 2019 the score rose from 71 ahead of the pandemic in 2019 to 73 in 2022.
With a mobility score of 181, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) topped the list. It was followed by Sweden, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Austria with a joint mobility score of 174. Other Asian economies like Vietnam, Indonesia, China, and Thailand asol witnessed declines in their rankings on the index.
According to media reports, the shift in the European Union's strategy has been blamed for India's dramatic drop in rankings. There has been pressure on certain countries, like Serbia, to impose visa requirements for citizens of India.
Based on a country's passport's ability to travel to other countries, the Passport Index is an interactive passport ranking tool supported by Arton Capital. As the countries' mobility scores change, the ranks in this real-time tool also change.
