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In recent months, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet the country's position during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

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 with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a small chip that stores biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.