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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

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

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five among 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report yet.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

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

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded 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 ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

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

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.