🔗 Share this article

Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction regarding the limited global access of Indian passports was reflected in recent global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – 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 the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport reflects a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

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

For example, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than what it was eight years ago (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations 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 countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors 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 plus its openness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has fallen from the top ten currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Khalistan 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 regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador indicated that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

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