🔗 Share this article

Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest global passport ranking, ranking the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana 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, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders 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 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank during both periods 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 additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, India – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, like its economic and political stability plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors such as the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.