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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.

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

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas 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. As a result, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, including its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals 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 technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a microchip that stores biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.