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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned that while nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report yet.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal when measured against Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a small chip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.