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Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report so far.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

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

As an instance, eight years ago – the year the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

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 global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to the 85th position in October 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, like its economic and political stability as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.