🔗 Share this article

In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to Indian tourists, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest global passport ranking, which placed India in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

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

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place two years ago. These rankings appear poor when measured against other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (57) is higher than what it was eight years ago (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Elements such as the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.