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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago 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), yet the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning countries are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost 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 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, India – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.