Nigeria has slipped one place to 90th in the latest Henley Passport Index, reflecting a slight decline in the global ranking of the country’s travel document despite maintaining the same level of visa-free travel access.
The July 2026 edition of the Henley Passport Index ranked Nigeria 90th out of 199 passports, down from 89th in April 2026.
Nigerian passport holders can still travel to 44 destinations worldwide without obtaining a visa before departure or by securing a visa on arrival.
The ranking, compiled by global citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), measures passport strength based on the number of destinations accessible without a pre-arranged visa.
The latest report assessed 199 passports across 227 travel destinations.
In Africa, South Africa retained its position as the continent’s strongest passport, ranking 49th globally with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 101 destinations.
Botswana followed in 61st place with access to 81 destinations, while Morocco ranked 67th with 71 destinations.
Kenya placed 68th with access to 70 destinations, while Ghana ranked 70th, offering travel to 67 destinations without a prior visa.
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Nigeria shares the 90th position with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan, with all three countries providing access to 44 destinations.
Globally, Singapore maintained its position as the world’s most powerful passport, granting visa-free access to 192 destinations.
Japan ranked second with access to 188 destinations, while South Korea and the United Arab Emirates jointly occupied third place, each offering access to 187 destinations.
The United States ranked 10th globally, with passport holders enjoying visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 180 destinations.
At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan remained the world’s weakest passport, allowing access to only 22 destinations. Syria ranked 103rd with 25 destinations, while Iraq placed 102nd with access to 28 destinations.
Nigeria’s latest ranking follows a steady improvement from 95th position in January 2024 to 89th in April 2026.
However, the country has lost visa-free access to several African nations, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Somalia.
Henley & Partners noted that while Nigeria gained visa-free access to some Pacific island destinations, those additions were insufficient to boost the country’s overall ranking in the latest global passport index.
