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Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West 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 in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was eight years ago (52), yet the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.