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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country 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.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free travel 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 this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens 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.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – fell to the 85th position in October after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

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

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.