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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – fell to the 85th position in October after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities detained 203 people 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, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip that stores biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.