🔗 Share this article

Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, ranking India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

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

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

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

For instance, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.