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Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), but India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that nations are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability as well as its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

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

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.