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In recent months, a video by an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, 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 the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew 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 (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

For example, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas 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 in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, authorities arrested 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.