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

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report so far.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

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

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

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

For example, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

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

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.