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In recent months, an online clip from an Indian travel influencer expressing frustration over the limited power of the Indian passport gained massive traction on social media.

The influencer stated although nearby nations such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka were more welcoming of Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns with India's poor passport strength found confirmation in the latest Henley Passport Index, ranking India at position eighty-five among nearly two hundred nations, a decline of five positions compared to the previous year.

Officials in India has not commented regarding these findings so far.

Nations like Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan with much smaller economies compared to India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – are ranked higher on the index at the 78th, 74th and 72nd spots, respectively.

Actually, the country's position in the past decade has remained in the 80s, falling to the 90th spot two years ago. Such standings are dismal compared to other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which have consistently held leading ranks.

Global Passport Power Indicates

Passport strength indicates a country's global influence and global influence. It also translates into enhanced travel freedom for passport holders, boosting business and educational prospects. A weak passport results in more paperwork, increased visa expenses, fewer travel privileges and longer waiting times for travel.

But despite the decline in the rank, the number of countries providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown in the past decade or so.

For example, eight years ago – the year the current administration's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office – fifty-two nations offered visa-free travel to Indians with the passport at seventy-sixth position on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to eightieth in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot currently. Meanwhile, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to 60 in 2023 and 62 in 2024.

The Competitive Global Mobility Landscape

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) is higher than what it was in 2015 (52), yet the country's position during both periods remains at eighty-fifth. What explains this situation?

Experts say that a primary factor is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that nations are entering into additional travel agreements for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per recent analysis, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access without visas has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

As an illustration, The Chinese passport has expanded its count of visa-free destinations its citizens can travel to from 50 to 82 over the last ten years. Consequently, its position on the index has improved from ninety-fourth to sixtieth in that same duration.

Meanwhile, The Indian passport – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October after losing access to two countries.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements that affect a nation's passport power, including economic and political conditions plus its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For example, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies 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 many Western and European countries, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage the country's reputation as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious of immigrants," he stated. "The country possesses a large quantity of citizens emigrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the country's reputation."

Elements such as how secure of a national passport and immigration processes also contribute to obtaining visa-free entry to other countries.

Security and Technological Improvements

The Indian passport remains vulnerable to security threats. In 2024, law enforcement arrested 203 people for alleged passport and visa irregularities. The country also has cumbersome immigration procedures with lengthy timelines for visa approvals.

The diplomat says that new technologies, such as the newly introduced digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and ease the immigration process. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric data, increasing difficulty to forge or tamper with the passport.

However, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships continue essential to boosting international travel freedom of Indians and, by extension, the Indian passport's global position.