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In recent months, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, 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 for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements such as the security level of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

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

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.