In recent months, a video from a popular travel content creator expressing frustration over India's weak passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.
The influencer stated although neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.
Such concerns regarding India's poor passport strength was reflected in recent Henley Passport Index, ranking India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.
The Indian government has not commented regarding these findings so far.
Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size compared to India – which is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions in the ranking in the seventies range, respectively.
Actually, India's rank in the past decade has hovered in the 80s, even dipping to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining top positions.
The power of a passport indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and educational prospects. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, higher visa costs, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.
But despite the drop in position, the number of countries offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased over the last ten years.
As an instance, eight years ago – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party assumed office – 52 countries provided visa-free travel for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.
The following year, it fell to the 85th position, then rose to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations to Indian citizens increased from fifty-two eight years ago to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.
The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (57) is higher than the number in 2015 (52), but India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?
Analysts note that a primary factor involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships to benefit their citizens and economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.
As an illustration, China has increased its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. As a result, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.
In comparison, India – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to the 85th position in October after losing access of two nations.
A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions plus its openness to accepting travelers from other countries.
For example, the American passport has dropped out of the top 10 currently holding 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 many Western and European countries, but that changed following Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.
"Many countries are also becoming more cautious 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 play a role in gaining visa-free entry to foreign nations.
India's passport remains vulnerable to security risks. In 2024, authorities arrested 203 people for suspected passport and visa irregularities. The country also has complex immigration processes and a slow pace for visa approvals.
The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a small chip holding biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.
However, more diplomatic outreach and travel agreements continue essential for enhancing the global mobility for Indian citizens and consequently, India's passport ranking.
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
