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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered 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 over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls 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 further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.