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In recent months, a video from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability plus its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors like the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.