Top 10 most powerful passports in Africa, according to latest ranking

Seychelles has the most powerful passport in Africa, climbing one spot to 24th globally with access to 156 destinations. Mauritius follows closely, ranked 27th worldwide with visa-free access to 149 countries.

• Business Insider Africa presents the top 10 most powerful passports in Africa.
• The list is courtesy of Henley & Partners.
• In Africa, Seychelles remains the leader, climbing one spot to 24th globally with access to 156 destinations, an improvement from its previous 25th place.

If you’re planning your next international trip, your passport might determine how far and how freely you can go.

According to the latest Henley Passport Index, Singapore has once again claimed the top spot as the world’s most powerful passport, granting its holders visa-free access to 193 out of 227 global destinations.

The index, compiled using exclusive Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks passports by the number of countries one can visit without needing a visa in advance.

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Africa’s top performers

In Africa, Seychelles remains the leader, climbing one spot to 24th globally with access to 156 destinations, an improvement from its previous 25th place.

Mauritius follows closely, ranked 27th worldwide with visa-free access to 149 countries. South Africa sits in third place in Africa, ranking 48th globally with access to 103 destinations.

Notably, Morocco has overtaken Kenya and now ties with Malawi at 67th globally, offering access to 73 countries. Kenya dropped to 69th with visa-free access to 71 countries.

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Below are top 10 most powerful passports in Africa:

Rank	Passport	Access (countries)	Global rank
1	Seychelles	156	24th
2	Mauritius	149	27th
3	South Africa	103	48th
4	Botswana	85	59th
5	Namibia	79	63rd
6	Lesotho	76	65th
7	eSwatini	74	66th
8	Malawi	73	67th
9	Morocco	73	67th
10	Kenya	71	69th

Biggest risers and fallers

Globally, the United Kingdom and the United States have each slipped by one position since the January ranking. Formerly the world’s top passports (UK in 2015, US in 2014), they now rank 6th and 10th respectively.

The UK allows access to 186 destinations, while the US provides access to 182, and now faces the possibility of dropping out of the global top 10 for the first time in the index’s 20-year history.

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