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In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Nations including 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 at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, 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, China has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure a country's passport is 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. In 2024, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic 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 agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.