Africa’s Top 10 Ranked Passports Revealed

The Henley Passport index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.

“Each passport is scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free. For each travel destination, if no visa is required, then a score of 1 is allocated for that passport.  This also applies if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) upon entry. 

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Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder must apply for a government-approved electronic visa (e-visa) before departure, a score of 0 is assigned. The same applies if they need pre-departure approval for a visa on arrival,” explains Henley & Partners, a residence and citizenship advisory firm that compiles the index.

In Africa the Island state of Seychelles holds the most powerful passport, with a global ranking of 28 and a Visa free score of 153, followed by Mauritius and South Africa. The index reveals the Democratic Republic Of Congo and Somalia hold the weakest passports on the continent with holders of the countries Visa’s permitted free visits into 38 and 35 countries respectively. Though it is noteworthy the majority of African countries fall in the bottom-half of the Global list.

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Africanian using the Henley Passport Index reveal Africa’s Top 10 passports in terms of their global strength.

1. Seychelles

Global ranking: 28

Visa-free score: 153

2. Mauritius

Global ranking: 33

Visa-free score: 146

3. South Africa

Global ranking: 55

Visa-free score: 105

4. Botswana

Global ranking: 65

Visa-free score: 87

5. Namibia

Global ranking: 70

Visa-free score: 79

6. Lesotho

Global ranking: 72

Visa-free score: 77

7. eSwatini

Global ranking: 74

Visa-free score: 75

8. Malawi

Global ranking: 75

Visa-free score: 74

9. Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia

Global ranking: 76

Visa-free score: 72

10. Tunisia

Global ranking: 77

Visa-free score: 71

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There are popular countries on the continent that make for remarkable exemptions on the lists, notably African economic giants Nigeria and Egypt.

Geopolitics play a huge role in the strength of a country’s passports, but also domestic issues in these countries are factors that determine a passport’s strength. Take for example the insecurity in Nigeria, experts noted that poor governance and mismanagement of resources impeded Nigeria’s global acceptance, factors such as fraud, corruption, and insecurity affects the trust other countries placed in Nigeria.

Source: The Henley Passport Index