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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, 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 provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability as well as its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following 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," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.