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In recent months, a video from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – 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 influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

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. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.