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Earlier this year, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, 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 was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, India's rank over the last ten years has hovered in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings are dismal when measured against other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

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

But despite the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries are forming more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded 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 improved from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from other countries.

For example, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures 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. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.