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In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

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

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

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

For instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following 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 more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.