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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

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

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, India – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors 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 other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.