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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

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

For example, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank 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 forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has increased the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage 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 to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

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