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Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries 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 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report yet.

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

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

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

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), but India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access 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, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role in gaining 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. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.