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Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report so far.

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

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, 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 ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its position in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, India – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability plus its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a microchip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.