🔗 Share this article

In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator 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 of Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations like Ghana, Rwanda 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.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

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 this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

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

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.