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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.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed India at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

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

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

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, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, 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 over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) exceeds what it was in 2015 (52), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

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

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

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