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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

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

Countries including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods for travel.

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

As an instance, in 2014 – when the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

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

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements such as the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, authorities arrested 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 indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.