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

He mentioned that while nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

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

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

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a small chip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.