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Earlier this year, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed India in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

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

Countries like 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 in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

As an instance, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (52), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to the 85th position in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, including its economic and political stability as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

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