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In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about 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 to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than 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 hovered in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

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

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

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

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

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says 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 instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel 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 growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Factors such as the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.