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In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

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

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has remained around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, 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 count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries 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 without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its position on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

In comparison, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to the 85th position this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.