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In recent months, a video from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, obtaining visas 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 out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report so far.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite 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 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors such as the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated 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 small chip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.