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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking India in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, 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 compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations 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 visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning countries are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

For instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

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