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In recent months, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, 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 the latest global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report so far.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

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 recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

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

Factors like how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people 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 new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a small chip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.