Nigeria has been ranked the 45th strongest passport in Africa and 90th in the world in the July 2026 global passport ranking released by Henley & Partners on Tuesday, with Nigerian passport holders enjoying visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 44 destinations.
The latest ranking places Nigeria among the continent’s weakest passports, tying with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 90th place globally. Only a handful of African countries rank below Nigeria on the index.
South Africa retained its position as Africa’s most powerful passport, climbing to 49th globally with visa-free access to 101 destinations, making it the only African country to provide access to more than 100 countries without requiring a prior visa.
Botswana ranked second in Africa and 61st globally with access to 81 destinations, followed by Namibia in third place on the continent and 65th worldwide with access to 74 countries.
Lesotho occupies fourth place in Africa, ranking 66th globally with access to 73 destinations, while Eswatini and Morocco share fifth place on the continent and 67th globally with visa-free access to 71 countries.
Nigeria’s latest position comes months after the country climbed six places on the Henley Passport Index between January 2024 and April 2026, rising from 95th to 89th globally despite its visa-free access dropping from 45 to 44 destinations.
Globally, Singapore retained its position as the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 192 destinations. Japan ranked second with access to 188 destinations, while South Korea and the United Arab Emirates shared third place with access to 187 countries each.
The United States ranked 10th globally, with its passport granting visa-free access to 180 destinations.
At the bottom of the rankings, Afghanistan remained the world’s weakest passport with access to just 22 destinations, followed by Syria and Iraq.
Full list of African passport rankings
South Africa – 49th globally (101 destinations)
Botswana – 61st (81)
Namibia – 65th (74)
Lesotho – 66th (73)
Eswatini – 67th (71)
Morocco – 67th (71)
Kenya – 68th (70)
Malawi – 68th (70)
Rwanda – 69th (68)
Tanzania – 69th (68)
The Gambia – 69th (68)
Ghana – 70th (67)
Tunisia – 71st (66)
Benin – 72nd (65)
Uganda – 72nd (65)
Cape Verde – 73rd (64)
Zambia – 73rd (64)
Sierra Leone – 74th (63)
Zimbabwe – 75th (61)
Mozambique – 76th (60)
São Tomé and Príncipe – 77th (59)
Burkina Faso – 79th (57)
Togo – 79th (57)
Côte d’Ivoire – 80th (56)
Gabon – 80th (56)
Madagascar – 80th (56)
Senegal – 80th (56)
Algeria – 81st (55)
Mauritania – 81st (55)
Equatorial Guinea – 82nd (54)
Niger – 82nd (54)
Guinea – 83rd (53)
Mali – 83rd (53)
Chad – 85th (51)
Comoros – 85th (51)
Guinea-Bissau – 85th (51)
Angola – 86th (49)
Egypt – 86th (49)
Liberia – 86th (49)
Burundi – 87th (48)
Cameroon – 87th (48)
Central African Republic – 87th (48)
Republic of the Congo – 88th (45)
Djibouti – 89th (45)
Democratic Republic of the Congo – 90th (44)
Nigeria – 90th (44)
Vanguard News
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