The Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa have the most powerful passports in Africa.
The Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa retained their top spots in this years passport ranking by Henley Passport Index, which ranks visa free scores and passport power in real-time.
The annual Henley Passport Index released recently showed an overall decline in the strength of African passports compared to other continents. In this year’s ranking, the strongest African passport belongs to the Seychelles, with Mauritius and South Africa ranked second and third while the least powerful African passport belongs to Somalia.
Ghana’s passport is the highest ranked in western Africa, trumping Africa’s Giant, Nigeria, which was ranked among the lowest in Africa.
Nigeria’s passport has seen the biggest decline over the last decade, losing more than 20 spots, followed by Sierra Leone and Libya, respectively
According to reports, the Seychellois passport’s strength may be because of the country’s own openness as a visa-free country, with no requirements for any traveller wishing to visit. Similarly, Mauritius does not require a visa from a majority of the world’s travelers, and only requires 16 countries’ citizens to apply for a visa before travel.
This year rankings indicate just how hard it still is for African travellers. Apart from the bottom ranked countries, most Africans can travel to fewer than 100 countries without a visa. For example, Nigerians may only travel to 47 countries without a visa.
Top 20 Most Powerful African Passports, 2019
1. Seychelles
World Rank – 27
Visa-Free Access – 151 countries
2. Mauritius
World Rank – 31
Visa-Free Access – 145 countries
3. South Africa
World Rank – 53
Visa-Free Access – 101 countries
4. Botswana
World Rank – 62
Visa-Free Access – 82 countries
5. Namibia
World Rank – 68
Visa-Free Access – 75 countries
6. Lesotho
World Rank – 69
Visa-Free Access – 74 countries
7. Eswatini (Swaziland)
World Rank – 71
Visa-Free Access – 72 countries
8. Kenya
World Rank – 71
Visa-Free Access – 72 countries
9. Malawi
World Rank – 72
Visa-Free Access – 71 countries
10.Gambia
World Rank – 73
Visa-Free Access – 68 countries
11. Tanzania
World Rank – 73
Visa-Free Access – 68 countries
12. Zambia
World Rank – 73
Visa-Free Access – 68 countries
13. Tunisia
World Rank – 74
Visa-Free Access – 66 countries
14. Cape Verde Islands
World Rank – 75
Visa-Free Access – 65 countries
15. Uganda
World Rank – 76
Visa-Free Access – 64 countries
16. Zimbabwe
World Rank – 76
Visa-Free Access – 64 countries
17. Ghana
World Rank – 77
Visa-Free Access – 63 countries
18. Sierra Leone
World Rank – 78
Visa-Free Access – 62 countries
19. Benin
World Rank – 79
Visa-Free Access – 61 countries
20. Morocco
World Rank – 79
Visa-Free Access – 61 countries
Methodology
The Henley Passport Index is the most rigorous and sophisticated measure of global access. It goes beyond a simple ranking of passports to provide you with an in-depth picture of your travel freedom, including which countries you can access with which type of visa, how your passport has changed over the last 14 years, how your passport compares to other passports, why your passport has the level of access it does, and which additional passports would improve your mobility.
The Henley Passport Index is the only passport index that is based on International Air Transport Association data, enhanced by extensive in-house research, supported by expert commentary, and updated regularly throughout the year, making it the most robust, credible, and reliable index of its kind.
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