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

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (52), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has increased the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements like how secure 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 threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.