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

The influencer stated that while nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed India in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report so far.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

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

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

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

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors like the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.