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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report yet.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

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

For instance, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, 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.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Factors like how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.