India’s passport has slipped to 125th place in the Global Passport Index 2026, dropping one spot from last year and remaining outside the world’s top 100 most powerful passports.
According to the latest rankings, Indian passport holders enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to just 26 destinations, while visas are still required for travel to nearly 88 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and the United Arab Emirates.
The latest decline follows a brief improvement in India’s ranking, which rose from 127th between 2021 and 2023 to 124th in 2025, before slipping back to 125th this year.
India trails several Asian, African nations
The index places India behind countries such as Namibia, the Philippines, Morocco and Uzbekistan, but ahead of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan. Indian travellers can currently visit destinations including Bhutan, Nepal, Jamaica, Macau, Palestine, Tunisia, Angola and Barbados without obtaining a visa in advance or by securing a visa on arrival.
Position among neighbouring countries
Among India’s neighbours, China is the highest-ranked, occupying 104th place in the index. However, India continues to rank above several South Asian countries, with Nepal placed 164th, Bangladesh 166th, and Pakistan 188th.
Europe leads global rankings
European nations continue to dominate the Global Passport Index, reflecting their strong international travel mobility.
The top 10 passports in the 2026 rankings are:
| Rank | Country |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden |
| 2 | Switzerland |
| 3 | Finland |
| 4 | Germany |
| 5 | Denmark |
| 5 | Netherlands |
| 7 | Ireland |
| 8 | United Kingdom |
| 9 | Norway |
| 10 | Singapore |
Outside the top 10, the United States and France share the 11th position, while Canada ranks 13th.
The latest rankings highlight the continuing disparity in global travel freedom, with European countries retaining the strongest passports, while travellers from countries such as India continue to face comparatively stricter visa requirements across much of the world.
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