🔗 Share this article

In recent months, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), but the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, authorities detained 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

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

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.