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Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed India at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

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

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities 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 says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.