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Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (52), but India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning countries are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.