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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, which placed the country at position eighty-five among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

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 at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

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

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), but the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean 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 increased the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas 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 access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. 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 for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.