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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

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

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means additional documentation, 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 for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.