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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

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

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

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

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), but the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost 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 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

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

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.