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Earlier this year, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest 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 have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Countries including 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, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to 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 global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations 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 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety 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, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.