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Earlier this year, a video by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated that while nearby nations like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

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

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 in the seventies range, respectively.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for passport holders, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times 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, in 2014 – the year the current administration's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to the 85th position, then improved to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly 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 available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index during summer – dropped to the 85th position this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements 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 instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.