By Brian Okoth
Seychelles has maintained its spot as Africa's strongest passport in a new report released by Henley & Partners on Thursday.
Holders of the passport of the island nation located in East Africa can access 156 destinations visa-free, or can obtain a visa on arrival.
Seychelles ranks 26th in the world, and has dropped two places from the last ranking done in July 2023. It has however increased its visa-free destinations to 156, from 155 previously.
Mauritius has the second most powerful passport in Africa that can access 150 destinations, maintaining its previous spot. In the world, it has fallen one place behind to number 30, though it has increased its visa-free destinations by two.
Lesotho, Namibia tie for 5th
South Africa, which ranks number 53 in the world, has the third most powerful passport in Africa. Holders of its passport can access 108 destinations visa-free, two countries more than the previous policy.
Botswana has the fourth most powerful passport in Africa that can access 91 destinations, and ranks 59th in the world. Visa-free destinations for citizens of Botswana have increased by two, from the previous policy.
With 80 visa-free destinations, Lesotho and Namibia have the fifth most powerful passports in Africa. Both countries rank 65th in the world.
Ranking seventh in Africa, is the Kingdom of Eswatini, which is granted visa-free access to 78 destinations. The southern African nation ranks 66th in the world.
Tanzania rounds out top 10
East African nation Kenya and the southern African nation of Malawi tie at 8th position in Africa, with holders of their passports accessing 76 destinations each. The two countries tie at 67th spot in the world.
Tanzania rounds out Africa's ten most powerful passports. The East African nation, which ranks 69th globally, has visa-less access to 73 countries.
Somalia, Libya and Eritrea have the weakest passports in Africa, according to Henley & Partners.
Somali citizens can access 36 destinations without a prior visa, while Libyan nationals can access 40 and Eritreans – 43. The three countries rank 99th, 98th and 96th globally in that order.
Nigeria ranks 50th in Africa
Sudan (45 destinations), Nigeria (45 destinations), South Sudan (46), the Democratic Republic of Congo (46), Ethiopia (47), Djibouti (50), Liberia (51) and Burundi (51) round out Africa's ten weakest passports.
Globally, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain have the most powerful passports, with a passport of each nation securing access to 194 destinations.
Citizens of Finland, South Korea and Sweden can access 193 destinations, coming behind the four joint-top countries.
Citizens of Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands can access 192 destinations without a prior visa.
USA ranks 7th in the world
Citizens of Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom are granted visa-less access to 191 countries each.
A United States passport, which is the seventh most powerful in the world, allows access to 188 countries without a prior visa. The US ties with Canada and Hungary.
Henley & Partners says that the ranking is "based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners' research team."
Besides democracy, political fragility, security and reciprocity, Henley & Partners says income is a reliable predictor of passport strength.
Complete ranking
"Countries that have higher gross domestic product (GDP) per capita according to World Bank data also enjoy more visa-free destinations," the consultancy firm states.
Below is the complete ranking of African passports – based on Henley & Partners data:
1. Seychelles: No. 26 globally – destinations: 156
2. Mauritius: No. 30 globally – destinations: 150
3. South Africa: No. 53 globally – destinations: 108
4. Botswana: No. 59 – 91
5. Lesotho: No. 65 – 80
6. Namibia: No. 65 – 80
7. Eswatini: No. 66 – 78
8. Kenya: No. 67 – 76
9. Malawi: No. 67 – 76
10. Tanzania: No. 69 – 73
11. Morocco: No. 71 – 71
12. Tunisia: No. 71 – 71
13. Zambia: No. 71 – 71
14. The Gambia: No. 72 – 70
15. Cape Verde: No. 73 – 69
16. Uganda: No. 73 – 69
17. Sierra Leone: No. 75 – 67
18. Ghana: No. 76 – 66
19. Rwanda: No. 76 – 66
20. Zimbabwe: No. 76 – 66
21. Benin: No. 79 – 63
22. Mozambique: No. 79 – 63
23. Gabon: No. 81 – 61
24. Sao Tome and Principe: No. 81 – 61
25. Burkina Faso: No. 82 – 60
26. Madagascar: No. 82 – 60
27. Côte d'Ivoire: No. 83 – 59
28. Guinea: No. 83 – 59
29. Mauritania: No. 83 – 59
30. Togo: No. 83 – 59
31. Equatorial Guinea: No. 84 – 58
32. Senegal: No. 84 – 58
33. Niger: No. 85 – 57
34. Algeria: No. 86 – 56
35. Guinea-Bissau: No. 86 – 56
36. Mali: No. 86 – 56
37. Central African Republic: No. 87 – 55
38. Chad: No. 87 – 55
39. Comoros: No. 87 – 55
40. Egypt: No. 87 – 55
41. Angola: No. 88 – 53
42. Cameroon: No. 88 – 53
43. Congo Republic: No. 89 – 52
44. Burundi: No. 90 – 51
45. Liberia: No. 90 – 51
46. Djibouti: No. 90 – 51
47. Ethiopia: No. 93 – 47
48. DR Congo: No. 94 – 46
49. South Sudan: No. 94 – 46
50. Nigeria: No. 95 – 45
51. Sudan: No. 95 – 45
52. Eritrea: No. 96 globally – destinations: 43
53. Libya: No. 98 globally – destinations: 40
54. Somalia: No. 99 globally – destinations: 36
