🔗 Share this article

Earlier this year, a video from an Indian travel influencer complaining about the limited power of the Indian passport went viral on social media.

He mentioned that while neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of Indian tourists, securing travel permits to travel to many nations in Europe and the West continued to be difficult.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent Henley Passport Index, which placed the country in the 85th spot out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower compared to the previous year.

Officials in India have not issued a statement regarding these findings so far.

Nations including Ghana, Rwanda and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that 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 over the last ten years has remained around the eighties, even dipping to the 90th spot in 2021. Such standings are dismal when measured against Asian nations like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Measures

The power of a passport reflects a country's global influence and international standing. This leads to better mobility for its citizens, boosting business and learning opportunities. Limited passport power means more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the drop in position, the count of nations offering visa-free access for Indian citizens has actually increased in the past decade or so.

As an instance, in 2014 – the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power – 52 countries provided visa-free travel to Indians and its passport at seventy-sixth position in the ranking.

The following year, it fell to eighty-fifth place, then improved to 80th over the past two years, declining once more to the 85th position currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 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 eight years ago (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years is 85. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a major reason involves growing competition in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into more travel partnerships 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 almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to 109 in 2025.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free destinations available to its citizens from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. As a result, its position in the ranking has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked 77th on the index in July – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss to two countries.

Additional Factors Affecting Passport Strength

A former Indian ambassador notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from abroad.

For instance, the US passport has fallen of the top 10 currently holding the 12th position – a historic low – due to its increasingly insular stance in global affairs.

The former ambassador mentioned that during the seventies, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable democracy.

"Many countries are growing more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a high number of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements like how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Enhanced Security Measures

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. Last year, authorities detained over two hundred individuals for alleged visa and passport fraud. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The former ambassador indicated that technological advances, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and ease the immigration process. The e-passport contains a microchip that stores biometric information, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential for enhancing international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.