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Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West 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 out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has remained around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per 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.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to 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 of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.