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Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions 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 – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like 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 – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

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 risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

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

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