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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed the country at position eighty-five 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 despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, 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 rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – 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

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements like how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched 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 document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.