Nigeria has moved up to the 92nd position in the global passport ranking, as reported by Henley and Partners. This latest ranking, which was released on Tuesday, draws from exclusive data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
In the past year, Nigeria experienced significant shifts in its ranking. In July 2023, Nigeria was ranked 90th but dropped to 97th place before climbing to its current position. The Nigerian passport now allows visa-free access to 45 destinations, tying with Lebanon and Myanmar.
Despite this improvement, Nigeria remains the sixth lowest-ranked African country, ahead of South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Libya, and Somalia.
Seychelles leads among African nations, ranked 24th globally with access to 156 countries. Mauritius follows at 28th place, with visa-free access to 150 countries, and South Africa ranks third in Africa and 47th globally, with access to 106 countries.
Globally, Singapore holds the top spot with visa-free access to 195 destinations. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain share the second spot, each with access to 193 destinations. The third position is shared by Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden, with access to 191 destinations.
Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom hold the fourth place with access to 190 destinations. Canada, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Malta are in the seventh spot, while the United States ranks eighth with access to 186 destinations.
At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan has the weakest passport with visa-free access to 26 countries, followed by Syria with 28, and Iraq with 31.
