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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place 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 Measures

The power of a passport reflects 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 more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to the 85th position in October after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Factors like how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.