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In recent months, a video from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, ranking the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government 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 – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians 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) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning nations are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has increased the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors like how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities detained 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a small chip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.