The Nigerian passport has achieved its highest position in five years on the Henley Passport Index, rising to 88th place out of 199 countries in the latest edition released on July 18.
This marks a modest improvement from its previous 91st position earlier in the year and a significant step up from the 97th spot it occupied at the end of 2023. Despite the gain, Nigeria still only offers visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 45 countries—unchanged from last year when it ranked 92nd.
Nigeria now shares the 88th spot with Ethiopia and Myanmar, mirroring a similar grouping seen in January.
The Henley Passport Index, which is updated quarterly, draws on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and expert geopolitical analysis to track global trends in passport power.
In Africa, the Nigerian passport remains in the lower tier, ranking only ahead of six countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Libya, and Somalia. This placement echoes the pattern observed in the previous year.
At its lowest point in 2021, the Nigerian passport ranked 103rd. It has since made incremental gains, reaching 98th in 2022, 90th in July 2023, and now stands at 88.
Seychelles continues to lead Africa with the most travel-friendly passport on the continent, offering access to 156 destinations. However, it dropped slightly on the global scale—from 22nd place in March to 24th in the July ranking.
Singapore retained its position at the top of the global list, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 countries. At the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan remained the lowest-ranked passport, offering access to just 25 countries.
The United States, once ranked number one in 2014, has continued its gradual descent and now sits at 10th place in the latest update.
