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In recent months, a video by an Indian travel influencer complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from fifty-two eight years ago 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) exceeds what it was in 2015 (fifty-two), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its position on the index has improved from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to the 85th position this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Subsequent political upheavals have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are growing increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the country's reputation."

Factors such as the security level a country's passport is and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

India's passport faces ongoing security threats. In 2024, law enforcement detained 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes and a slow pace of visa processing.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.