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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

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

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

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

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed 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 at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a small chip holding biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.