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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded 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 improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a microchip that stores biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.