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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings 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 country's global influence and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

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