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

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

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

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom 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.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), but the country's position during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

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