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Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

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

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the global average count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

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

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, including its economic and political stability plus its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.