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In recent months, a video from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

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

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

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has expanded its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability plus its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance 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 after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a small chip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.