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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

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

As an instance, in 2014 – the year the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to a 2025 report, 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, China has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as 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 remains vulnerable to security risks. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a small chip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.