Why does one of the fastest growing economies in the world have one of the weakest passports?

[Black_cats]

The title is click bait. There is no paradox in being a fast growing economy and having a weak passport. In fact they may be correlated. In any case, the number of countries allowing visa free / visa on arrival is hardly a strong metric in itself. Indian passport does not do well either if one excludes a slew of African and tiny Caribbean nations.

Also lets be realistic with respect to passport strength. The only people who worry a lot about this are middle class (and upwards) folks who resent not being able to easily get visa for their holidays abroad. When their privilege cannot make them skip the visa queue. Even if more countries started issuing VoA, how does it change the life of ordinary Bangladeshis / Indians / Pakistanis who cannot afford the travel in the first place?

Serious businessmen will get visas if they are visited an expo, or have a business associate who can provide a letter of assurance.

Exactly that’s what my point was for @bluesky. But at this moment that’s how the rank are measured.

 

[Paitoo]

Exactly that’s what my point was for @bluesky. But at this moment that’s how the rank are measured.

Additionally, this rank is mostly of academic interest, it serves no utility to anyone. When some company is planning to invest into your country, this is not a metric that will ever be under consideration, say unlike a Credit Rating or Ease of doing Business Index.

When you become prosperous and your migration rate has reduced, it will reflect in a better passport strength. But in all cases, this index is a symptom and not a determinant of anything.