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

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was eight years ago (52), but India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – fell to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

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

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities arrested 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 former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.