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In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although 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.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five among 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings yet.

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

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered 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 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), but the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

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

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

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