Nigeria slips to 90th in latest global passport ranking

Nigeria has slipped to 90th place in the latest Henley Passport Index, highlighting a slight decline in the global ranking of its passport.

According to the July 2026 edition of the index released by Henley & Partners on Tuesday, the Nigerian passport now ranks 90th out of 199 passports assessed worldwide. It allows holders to travel to 44 destinations without obtaining a visa before departure.

The latest ranking represents a one-place drop from the 89th position Nigeria held in the April 2026 edition of the index. However, the country’s visa-free access remains unchanged at 44 destinations.

In a statement on its website on Tuesday, Henley & Partners said the index, released on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a prior visa.

It added that the ranking covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations using data from the International Air Transport Association, IATA.

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

Botswana followed in 61st place with access to 81 destinations, while Ghana ranked 70th with a visa-free score of 67. Morocco placed 67th with 71 destinations, while Kenya shared the 68th position with 70 destinations.

Nigeria ranked alongside the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan, each with visa-free access to 44 destinations.

Globally, Singapore retained the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 192 destinations.

Japan ranked second with access to 188 destinations, while South Korea and the United Arab Emirates shared third place with 187 destinations.

The United States of America sits disappointingly at 10th position with 180 destinations.

At the bottom of the ranking, Afghanistan remained the world’s weakest passport, with visa-free access to just 22 destinations.

Syria ranked 103rd with access to 25 destinations, while Iraq placed 102nd with 28 destinations.

The latest ranking comes months after Nigeria climbed six places on the Henley Passport Index between January 2024 and April 2026, rising from 95th to 89th despite its visa-free access falling from 45 to 44 destinations.

According to Henley’s April 2026 report, Nigeria lost visa-free access to countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe and Somalia over recent years, although it gained access to several Pacific island destinations.

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