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In recent months, a video by an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

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

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its position on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat 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 continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.