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Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

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

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (fifty-two), 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 international travel – meaning countries are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from 94th to 60th 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 to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.