India news: Indian passport slips one spot in global ranking

Here is a roundup of some of the top headlines that had India talking on Sunday, July 4:

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India ranks 125th on global passport index

India has slipped to 125th in the Global Passport Index (GPI) 2026, remaining outside the top 100 despite a marginal improvement last year.

After climbing to 124th in 2025 from 127th between 2021 and 2023, the country has once again lost ground and now offers visa-free access to just 26 destinations.

India is now placed just behind Namibia, which ranks 124th, while Azerbaijan follows at 126th.

Indian passport holders can travel visa-free or obtain a visa on arrival in destinations including Bhutan, Nepal, Jamaica, Macau, Palestine, Tunisia, Angola and Barbados. However, they still require a visa to enter around 88 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and the UAE.

While India's rank has slipped, the GPI shows that India’s overall passport score has reached its highest level in the past five years.

The report points out that India's overall passport score has improved to 45.1, its highest since the index began tracking the country in 2021.

Rankings only focus on the number of countries a passport can enter without a visa, the Global Passport Index looks at a much wider picture. It measures passports based on three main factors: travel freedom, investment opportunities, and quality of life, to judge how valuable a passport is for its holder.

Good morning! This is Midhat from the New Delhi Bureau, bringing you the latest developments from across India.

The capital has woken up to a rainy day, bringing much-needed respite from the stuffy afternoons and evenings. India's financial capital, Mumbai, is on red alert as heavy Monsoon rains battered the city through the night.

The morning also brought the unwelcome news of the Indian passport slipping even further down the global passport rankings.

Meanwhile, there's some relief as India resumed supply ​of liquefied ​natural gas from ​the Middle East.

Stay tuned as we bring you all this and more.