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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent 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 has not commented on the report so far.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to 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 when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (52), yet the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. 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. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, 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.