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In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report yet.

Nations 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.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, 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 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (52), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

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

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.