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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed the country at position eighty-five among 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report yet.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries 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) assumed office – 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 tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has increased the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to the 85th position this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance 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 after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.