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In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral on social media.

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

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

The Indian government have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – 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, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

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 educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.