Nigeria has climbed to the 92nd position on the global passport ranking, reflecting an improvement in its citizens’ access to visa-free travel.
This development comes from a report released by Henley & Partners, leveraging exclusive data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The rankings are regularly updated to reflect shifts in visa policies worldwide.
In July 2023, Nigeria was ranked 90th but later fell to 97th, trailing behind African nations such as Burundi, Cameroon, and Liberia. However, in the latest report, Nigeria moved up to 92nd, sharing the spot with Lebanon and Myanmar. Nigerian passport holders can now access 45 destinations without a visa.
Among African nations, Nigeria ranks near the bottom in terms of visa-free travel, placing just above South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Libya, and Somalia. Conversely, Seychelles leads the continent, maintaining its 24th global ranking with visa-free access to 156 countries. Mauritius followed, moving up one spot to 28th globally with access to 150 destinations, while South Africa ranked 47th with visa-free entry to 106 countries.
Globally, Singapore retained its position at the top of the list, with citizens able to travel visa-free to 195 destinations—three more than the previous year. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain collectively held the second spot, offering visa-free access to 194 destinations. The third place was shared by Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden, with access to 191 destinations.
Countries like Canada, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Malta ranked seventh, while the United States secured the eighth position, granting visa-free access to 186 destinations.
At the bottom of the list, Afghanistan remained the weakest passport, offering visa-free entry to just 26 countries, followed by Syria and Iraq with access to 28 and 31 destinations, respectively.
