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In recent months, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, securing travel permits for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns regarding the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking India at position eighty-five among 199 countries, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

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

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

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has hovered around the eighties, falling to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power Measures

Passport strength indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, improving commercial and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations for Indians grew from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than the number eight years ago (52), yet India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – meaning nations are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and their economies. According to recent analysis, the global average count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, China has expanded the number of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its position in the ranking has enhanced from ninety-fourth to sixtieth during the same time period.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

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

For instance, the US passport has dropped out of the top 10 and now occupies the 12th position – its lowest ever – because of its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have further chipped away at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Elements like the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport includes a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and, by extension, India's passport ranking.