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Earlier this year, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five among 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, 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 are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

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 and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 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) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, India's passport ranking.