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Earlier this year, an online clip by an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of travelers from India, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into better mobility for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of visa-free destinations this year (fifty-seven) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that nations are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded the number of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

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

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, though this shifted following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Factors like how secure a country's passport is and immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities arrested over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. 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, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.