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In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than 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.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

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

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel 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 this year (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its position in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October 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 economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

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

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

Elements like the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

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

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.