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In recent months, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) exceeds what it was in 2015 (52), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – meaning countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – fell to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements like how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.