Seychelles Tops Africa’s Passport Ranking as Continent Narrows Mobility Gap

Seychelles has retained its position as Africa’s most powerful passport, granting its holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 156 destinations, as the continent’s countries continue to make gradual gains in global mobility, the latest Henley Passport Index shows.

The Indian Ocean island nation ranked 25th globally, followed closely by Mauritius at 29th with access to 151 destinations.

South Africa climbed to 48th worldwide, allowing its citizens to travel to 106 countries without prior visas, marking a return to the top 50 for the first time in years.

Botswana, Namibia and Lesotho rounded out Africa’s top five, providing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to between 79 and 88 destinations.

Eswatini, Malawi, Kenya and Morocco completed the continent’s top 10, highlighting the region’s slow but steady progress in expanding travel freedom.

Globally, Singapore held the top spot with visa-free access to 193 destinations, followed by Japan and South Korea, which tied in second place with access to 190 countries.

The Henley Passport Index, which uses data from the International Air Transport Association, measures the number of destinations passport holders can access without a prior visa.

African nations have historically ranked low on the index due to challenges around visa restrictions, but the gradual improvement signals progress in diplomatic relations and regional integration efforts.

“Visa-free travel remains a crucial tool for economic mobility, tourism, and global competitiveness,” said a regional analyst focusing on Africa’s travel sector. “Although African passports still lag far behind those in Asia and Europe, the continent’s leading nations are showing steady gains.”

 

Despite this progress, Africa’s passport holders still face significant barriers compared to their counterparts in wealthier regions.

The top-ranked Singaporean passport allows travel to 193 destinations visa-free, nearly double the access enjoyed by passport holders in most African countries.

Analysts say intra-African visa liberalisation could further enhance mobility, with initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area expected to encourage governments to ease travel restrictions within the region.

The report comes as African nations continue to rebuild their travel and tourism industries following the COVID-19 pandemic and as governments seek to strengthen bilateral agreements to improve the continent’s global mobility ranking.

gandae@businessdayafrica.org