By Ghazali Ibrahim
Nigeria has fallen one place to 90th on the latest Henley Passport Index, with holders of the Nigerian passport still able to travel to 44 destinations without obtaining a visa in advance.
The July 2026 ranking, released by Henley & Partners on Tuesday, placed Nigeria 90th out of 199 passports assessed globally.
Although the country’s visa-free score remained unchanged at 44 destinations, it slipped from the 89th position it occupied in the April 2026 edition.
Henley & Partners, in a statement marking the 20th anniversary of the index, said the ranking measures the strength of passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
The index covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Within Africa, 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 Morocco ranked 67th with 71 destinations.
Kenya shared the 68th position with 70 destinations, and Ghana placed 70th with access to 67 destinations.
Nigeria ranked alongside the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan, with all three countries offering visa-free access to 44 destinations.
Globally, Singapore retained its position as the world’s most powerful passport, providing 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 ranked 10th, with its passport granting access to 180 destinations without a prior visa.
At the bottom of the index, 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 after Nigeria climbed six places between January 2024 and April 2026, moving from 95th to 89th despite its visa-free access declining 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 in recent years, although it gained access to several Pacific island destinations.
