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In recent months, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned that while nearby nations such as 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.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

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

Nations 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, respectively.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (52), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

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

For example, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

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

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a small chip holding biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, India's passport ranking.