🔗 Share this article

Earlier this year, an online clip by a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport went viral across digital platforms.

The influencer stated although neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Bhutan offered easier access to Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed India in the 85th spot among 199 countries, five spots lower than last 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 – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking 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 ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings appear poor when measured against Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. A weak passport results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations providing visa-free travel to Indians has grown over the last ten years.

As an instance, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

A year later, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (fifty-two), but the country's position during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning nations are forming more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations travellers are able to access without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its position on the index has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

In comparison, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – dropped to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes there are other factors that affect a nation's passport power, like its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the American passport has fallen of the top 10 and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

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

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary of immigrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or remaining beyond visa limits and that interferes with the national image."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement arrested 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a microchip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.