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Earlier this year, an online clip by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods 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, in 2014 – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – fell to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed 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 regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements such as the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a small chip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.