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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

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

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

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

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

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

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

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

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.