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In recent months, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and international standing. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

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

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was eight years ago (52), but the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost 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 fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic 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 passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.