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In recent months, a video by an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has remained in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), but the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that nations are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number 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 during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.