Nigeria Slips to 90th in Global Passport Ranking

Nigeria has dropped to 90th place in the latest Henley Passport Index, with holders of the Nigerian passport able to travel to 44 destinations without a prior visa.

The July 2026 ranking, released by Henley & Partners, assessed 199 passports worldwide. Nigeria’s position marks a one-step decline from 89th in April 2026, though its visa-free score remained unchanged at 44.

Henley & Partners explained that the index, celebrating its 20th anniversary, ranks passports based on the number of destinations accessible without a visa, using data from the International Air Transport Association.

Among African nations, South Africa retained the continent’s strongest passport, ranking 49th globally with visa-free access to 101 destinations.

Botswana followed at 61st with 81 destinations, while Ghana placed 70th with 67 destinations. Nigeria now shares its 90th position with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan.

Globally, Singapore maintained its lead as the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 192 destinations.

Japan ranked second with 188 destinations, while South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Sweden tied for third with 187 destinations.

At the bottom of the list, Afghanistan remained the weakest passport, granting visa-free access to only 22 destinations.

Nigeria’s decline comes after modest gains in recent years, when it climbed from 95th to 89th between January 2024 and April 2026, despite losing visa-free access to countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Somalia.

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