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In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over 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, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government has not commented on the report so far.

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

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength reflects a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times 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.

For example, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), yet the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and their economies. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements like how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. 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 digital 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.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.