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

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.