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

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report yet.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

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

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected 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 streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.