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In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

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

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased 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 (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), but 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 – indicating that nations are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.