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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport went viral on social media.

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

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index 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 the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet the country's position during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

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

In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions plus its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.