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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 across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

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

Nations like 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, in that order.

In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects 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 additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 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 the 85th position, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, including its economic and political stability as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For instance, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.