In July 2026, Henley & Partners released the latest global passport ranking, positioning Nigeria as the 45th strongest passport in Africa and 90th worldwide. Nigerian passport holders can now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 44 destinations, although this places Nigeria among the continent’s less powerful passports, sharing 90th place globally with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Only a few African nations rank lower on the index.
In contrast, South Africa proudly holds the title of Africa’s most powerful passport, advancing to 49th globally with visa-free access to an impressive 101 destinations, making it the only African country to exceed 100 visa-free destinations.
Botswana follows closely, ranking second in Africa and 61st globally, offering access to 81 destinations. Namibia secures the third position on the continent and ranks 65th worldwide, with access to 74 countries.
Lesotho ranks fourth in Africa, coming in at 66th globally with access to 73 destinations. Meanwhile, Eswatini and Morocco share fifth place on the continent, both ranking 67th globally with visa-free access to 71 countries.
Despite a drop in visa-free access from 45 to 44 destinations, Nigeria’s recent ranking follows a notable rise of six places on the Henley Passport Index between January 2024 and April 2026, moving from 95th to 89th globally.
On a global scale, Singapore continues to lead with the world’s most powerful passport, granting visa-free access to 192 destinations. Japan follows closely in second place with access to 188 destinations, while South Korea and the United Arab Emirates share third place, each providing access to 187 countries.
At the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the rankings with the world’s weakest passport, offering access to just 22 destinations, followed by Syria and Iraq.
