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

The influencer stated that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

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

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.