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Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

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

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings 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 in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations 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 provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that nations are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip that stores biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.