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Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

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

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians grew 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 in 2015 (52), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

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

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat 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 further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, India's passport ranking.