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In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries such as 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 with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

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

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has increased its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

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

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Factors such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.