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In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over 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 travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report so far.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport means additional documentation, 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 – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – fell to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.