Why India's Indian Passport Is Falling in Global Ranking

In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator complaining about India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned that while nearby nations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming to travelers from India, obtaining visas to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country in the 85th spot among 199 countries, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

The Indian government have not issued a statement regarding these findings yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher in the ranking in the seventies range, in that order.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has hovered around the eighties, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.

Global Passport Power Indicates

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and international standing. This leads to better mobility for passport holders, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – fifty-two nations provided visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the 85th position this year. At the same time, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens grew from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The count of nations allowing visa-free entry in 2025 (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Analysts note that a major reason involves growing competition in international travel – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the global average count of countries people can visit visa-free 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 destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 in the past decade. Consequently, its rank in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn after losing access of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing a nation's passport power, like economic and political conditions as well as its openness to welcoming citizens from abroad.

For example, the US passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies the 12th position – a historic low – because of its more inward-looking approach in world politics.

The diplomat recalls that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming 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 the security level of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, authorities arrested 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for complex immigration processes with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that technological advances, like India's recently-launched electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the document.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements remain key to boosting international travel freedom for Indian citizens and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.