In recent months, an online clip from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction on social media.
The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming of travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.
Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed the country in the 85th spot out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions than last year.
The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.
Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.
In fact, the country's position over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.
The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.
However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.
As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.
A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.
The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?
Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.
As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.
In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.
A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.
For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding twelfth place – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in world politics.
The former ambassador recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.
"Numerous nations are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."
Elements like how secure a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.
India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.
The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.
However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, India's passport ranking.
