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In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

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

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its position 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 – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss to two countries.

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 as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.