India’s passport ranking drops to 148 among 199 countries
New Delhi: India’s passport ranking has fallen to 148th place among 199 countries, down from 147th last year, in a list of the world’s most powerful passports, according to the latest Nomad Capitalist Passport Index 2025.
The index, released by the tax and immigration consultancy firm Nomad Capitalist, ranks passports based on five key parameters: visa-free travel (50%), taxation (20%), global perception (10%), dual citizenship (10%), and personal freedom (10%).
The index uses government data from 199 passport-issuing countries and territories, alongside real-time intelligence and proprietary research, to measure the ease of travel, which includes visa-free access, visa on arrival, and electronic travel authorizations (eTA/eVisa).
India shared the 148th spot with the East African country of Comoros, with a total score of 47.5. Last year, it held the 147th rank with Mozambique.
Ireland was ranked as the world’s strongest passport of 2025 on the Nomad Capitalist Passport Index, due to Irish citizens’ “right to live and work freely across the European Union and, uniquely, in the United Kingdom”.
Switzerland followed in second place, followed by Greece, Portugal, Malta, Italy, Luxembourg, Finland, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Iceland. The United States held the joint 45th rank alongside San Marino.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, countries like Pakistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Yemen, and Afghanistan were ranked among the weakest passports, placing from 195th to 199th.
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Himanta resigns as Assam CM, paving way for formation of new govt
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4.
"Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
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The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11.
“As it was a historic win, we have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grace the occasion," he said.
The new Assam chief minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in presence of central observers, Sarma said.
