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Earlier this year, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction across digital platforms.

He mentioned although nearby nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan were more welcoming to travelers from India, obtaining visas for visiting many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

This dissatisfaction with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking the country at position eighty-five out of nearly two hundred nations, five spots lower than last year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings yet.

Countries like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies than India – which is the fifth-largest economy globally – are ranked higher on the index in the seventies range, in that order.

Actually, India's rank in the past decade has remained in the 80s, falling to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings are dismal compared to Asian nations like Singapore, Japan and South Korea, all maintaining leading ranks.

What Passport Strength Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. This leads to enhanced travel freedom for its citizens, boosting business and educational prospects. Limited passport power means additional documentation, higher visa costs, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the count of nations offering visa-free access to Indians has actually increased in the past decade or so.

For example, in 2014 – the year the current administration's ruling party came to power – fifty-two nations offered visa-free access for Indian passport holders with the passport ranked 76th in the ranking.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then rose to eightieth over the past two years, dropping again to the 85th position currently. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens grew 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) exceeds the number eight years ago (fifty-two), but India's rank for both these years is 85. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in international travel – meaning nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean number of destinations people can visit without visas has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025.

As an illustration, China has increased its count of visa-free countries its citizens can travel to from fifty to eighty-two over the last ten years. Consequently, its rank on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th during the same time period.

Meanwhile, India – previously positioned 77th on the index during summer – dropped to eighty-fifth place this autumn following the loss to two countries.

Other Influences Impacting Passport Power

An ex-diplomat from India notes multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, like economic and political conditions as well as its receptiveness to welcoming citizens 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 more inward-looking approach in global affairs.

The diplomat mentioned how in the 1970s, Indian citizens had visa-free access to many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement in the 1980s. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Numerous nations are growing more cautious regarding migrants," the diplomat added. "India has a high number of people migrating to other countries or overstaying their visas and that interferes with the national image."

Factors such as how secure of a national passport and its immigration procedures also play a role to obtaining visa-free access to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security risks. Last year, law enforcement detained 203 people for suspected visa and passport fraud. India is also known for cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines of visa processing.

The diplomat indicated that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, can improve security and streamline immigration. The e-passport includes a microchip holding biometric data, making it harder to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, increased diplomatic efforts and travel agreements remain key to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and consequently, the Indian passport's global position.