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In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five among 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

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

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

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to 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.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the US 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 diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors like the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained 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 diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, India's passport ranking.