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In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

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

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians 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 provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

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

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. In 2024, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

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