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Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits 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 global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five among 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has increased the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

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

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Elements like the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.