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In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over 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 to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

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

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew 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) is higher than the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded 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 in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

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

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.