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Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

The influencer stated that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access of Indian tourists, obtaining visas for visiting most Western and European countries remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country at position eighty-five out of 199 countries, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement on the report so far.

Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, India's rank over the last ten years has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

Passport strength reflects a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel 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 provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel for Indians grew from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – meaning countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to 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.

In comparison, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to the 85th position this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Other Influences Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – due to its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to numerous European and Western nations, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Numerous nations are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a large quantity of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements like how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport faces ongoing security risks. In 2024, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. This electronic document includes a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, increased diplomatic efforts and travel partnerships remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.