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In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement 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 – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has remained in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into better mobility 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 offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year 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.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), yet the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries people can visit without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed 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 the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.