Mobility across nations can be significantly influenced by the issuing country or the color of an individual’s passport.
Over the years, Henley & Partners has consistently maintained a ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, shaping global perceptions of countries and their citizens.
The strength of a passport is typically measured by the number of destinations its holders can access without requiring a visa or by obtaining one on arrival.
The challenge of Africa passport holders
Passports from many African countries rank low on global indices, and this phenomenon stems from a combination of historical, political, economic, and systemic factors.
Stronger passports project the success and strong global reputation of their issuing countries, while weaker passports can negatively affect perceptions, often resulting in increased scrutiny during international travel.
Economic factors also play a major role in the limited strength of African passports.
The Henley& Partner’s passport index shows a close relationship between economic power and free movement.
The most powerful passports belong to countries with the strongest GDPs in the world and their citizens have visa-free access to about 190 countries.
These countries however, strongly scrutinize access into their regions.
Unlike other regions, Africans face restricted visa-free travel globally. However, the continent itself is more open, granting visa-free entry to 49% of the world’s citizens.
The data combines Henley Passport Index and World Bank GDP data, ranking 199 passports by their Henley Passport Power (HPP) score, which reflects the percentage of global GDP accessible visa-free.
For the 2024 data, the table below shows the top five weakest and strongest African passports;
| Rank | Strong | Score | Weak | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Seychelles |
156 |
Somalia |
35 |
|
2 |
Mauritius |
150 |
Libya |
40 |
|
3 |
South Africa |
106 |
Eritrea |
42 |
|
4 |
Botswana |
88 |
Sudan |
43 |
|
5 |
Lesotho |
79 |
South Sudan |
44 |
The data indicates that a country’s score represents the number of destinations its passport holders can visit without needing a visa beforehand.
For example, Seychelles holds the strongest African passport with a score of 156, allowing its citizens visa-free access to 156 countries.
In contrast, Somalia ranks lowest, with its passport granting visa-free entry to only 35 countries.
