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Earlier this year, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda 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 at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has increased the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the US passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

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

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.