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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

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

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador 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 information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

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