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Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to 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, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report yet.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, 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 – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew 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 (57) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

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 in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

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

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.