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Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries 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 offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, India – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.