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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five among 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report so far.

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

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

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

For example, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has increased the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, India's passport ranking.