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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says 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 fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements like the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.