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Earlier this year, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting 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, which placed the country in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

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, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (57) exceeds the number eight years ago (52), but India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

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

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.