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In recent months, an online clip by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent global passport ranking, which placed India at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented on the report yet.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions in the ranking at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

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, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free access to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (fifty-seven) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), yet the country's position for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to 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.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for suspected visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

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