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In recent months, a video by a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming 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 found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far.

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

In fact, India's rank in the past decade has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

What Passport Strength Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 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 the 85th position, then rose to 80th over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), yet India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in international travel – meaning countries are entering into additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has increased the number of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned 77th on the index in July – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access to two countries.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors influencing the strength of a country's passport, including its economic and political stability plus its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has fallen from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned that during the seventies, Indian citizens had visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or remaining beyond visa limits affecting the national image."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested over two hundred individuals for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric information, making it harder to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements continue essential to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.