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In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned although nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting 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, ranking the country at position eighty-five among 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position in October after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, 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 continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

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

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.