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In recent months, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far.

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

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

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

As an instance, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Factors such as the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement arrested 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

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

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.