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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

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

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Elements like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.