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Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

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

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits 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 in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the global average count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.