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Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned although neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka offered easier access to Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to most Western and European countries continued to be difficult.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength was reflected in the latest Henley Passport Index, which placed the country at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions than last year.

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

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – a nation that is the fifth-largest economy globally – hold better positions on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, the country's position over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. These rankings are dismal compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Measures

The power of a passport indicates a nation's soft power and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, improving commercial and learning opportunities. A weak passport means additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party came to power – 52 countries offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders and its passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

The following year, it tumbled to eighty-fifth place, then rose to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, declining once more to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, visa-free destinations for Indians increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The count of visa-free destinations in 2025 (fifty-seven) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but India's rank during both periods is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – indicating that countries are forming additional travel agreements to benefit their citizens and their economies. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to one hundred nine currently.

For example, China has expanded the number 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 ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – previously positioned at seventy-seventh place in July – fell to the 85th position this autumn following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India says there are other factors that affect the strength of a country's passport, including economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

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

The diplomat recalls how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free access to many Western and European countries, but that changed following Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Subsequent political upheavals have continued to damage at India's image as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are also becoming increasingly wary regarding migrants," 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 immigration processes also contribute in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

India's passport faces ongoing security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained over two hundred individuals for alleged passport and visa irregularities. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures and a slow pace for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced electronic passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. The e-passport contains a microchip holding biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

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