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In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed 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 so far.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors such as the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities 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 indicated that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

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