🔗 Share this article

Earlier this year, a video from a popular travel content creator 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 to Indian tourists, obtaining visas to travel to many nations in Europe and the West remained a challenge.

Such concerns with the limited global access of Indian passports found confirmation in recent 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 have not issued a statement on the report yet.

Countries including Rwanda, Ghana and Azerbaijan despite smaller economic size than India – a nation that is the world's fifth biggest economy – hold better positions on the index in the seventies range, respectively.

In fact, the country's position in the past decade has remained in the 80s, even dipping to ninetieth place in 2021. Such standings appear poor compared to other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which have consistently held top positions.

Global Passport Power 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. Limited passport power results in additional documentation, increased visa expenses, reduced travel benefits and extended processing periods when journeying.

However, even with the decline in the rank, the count of nations providing visa-free travel for Indian citizens has grown 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 for Indian passport holders and its passport ranked 76th on the index.

A year later, it tumbled to the 85th position, then improved to 80th in 2023 and 2024, dropping again to the eighty-fifth spot this year. At the same time, countries allowing visa-free travel to Indian citizens increased from 52 in 2015 to sixty last year and sixty-two this year.

Increasing Worldwide Travel Competition

The number of nations allowing visa-free entry this year (57) exceeds the number in 2015 (52), yet India's rank for both these years remains at eighty-fifth. So, why is that?

Analysts note that a major reason is the increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility – indicating that countries are entering into more travel partnerships for their populations' advantage and economic growth. As per a 2025 report, the worldwide mean count of countries travellers are able to access visa-free has almost doubled from fifty-eight nineteen years ago to one hundred nine currently.

For example, The Chinese passport has increased its count of visa-free countries available to its citizens from fifty to eighty-two in the past decade. As a result, its position on the index has enhanced from 94th to 60th in that same duration.

In comparison, India – which was ranked at seventy-seventh place during summer – fell to eighty-fifth place in October following the loss of two nations.

Additional Factors Impacting Passport Power

A former Indian ambassador says multiple elements influencing the strength of a country's passport, including its economic and political stability as well as its receptiveness to accepting travelers from other countries.

For instance, the American passport has dropped out from the top ten and now occupies twelfth place – its lowest ever – due to its increasingly insular stance in world politics.

The former ambassador mentioned how in the 1970s, Indians enjoyed visa-free travel to numerous European and Western nations, though this shifted after the Khalistan movement during the eighties. Later political disturbances have continued to damage at India's image as a stable, democratic country.

"Many countries are also becoming more cautious regarding migrants," he stated. "India has a large quantity of people migrating overseas or overstaying their visas affecting the national image."

Factors such as the security level a country's passport is and its immigration procedures also play a role in gaining visa-free access to foreign nations.

Security and Technological Improvements

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

The former ambassador says that new technologies, like India's recently-launched digital passport or e-passport, may enhance safety and streamline immigration. This electronic document contains a small chip that stores biometric information, increasing difficulty to counterfeit or alter the document.

But, more diplomatic outreach and travel partnerships remain key to boosting the global mobility of Indians and consequently, India's passport ranking.