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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility 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 when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its position in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

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

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

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

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, 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 of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level 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 faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.