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In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation 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 have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), but the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 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 after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a small chip that stores biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.