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Earlier this year, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

He mentioned although nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India in the 85th spot among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, in that order.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access 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 available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, including its economic and political stability as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

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

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," the diplomat added. "The country possesses a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

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

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.