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In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.

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

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that nations are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.