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In recent months, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report so far.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

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

As an instance, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, 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 nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has increased the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors that affect 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 American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Factors such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, law enforcement arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip that stores biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.