Nigeria has dropped to 90th position in the latest Henley Passport Index, with holders of the Nigerian passport able to access 44 destinations without obtaining a visa in advance.

The July 2026 edition of the global ranking, released by Henley & Partners on Tuesday, assessed 199 passports using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The index measures passport strength based on the number of destinations passport holders can enter without securing a visa beforehand.

The latest ranking marks a one-place decline from Nigeria’s 89th position in the April 2026 edition, although the country’s visa-free score remained unchanged at 44 destinations.

Henley & Partners said the index, released to mark its 20th anniversary, covers 227 travel destinations worldwide and remains one of the leading global benchmarks for passport mobility.

Among African countries, South Africa retained the continent’s strongest passport, ranking 49th globally with visa-free access to 101 destinations. Botswana followed in 61st place with 81 destinations, while Morocco ranked 67th with 71 destinations. Kenya occupied 68th place with 70 destinations, and Ghana ranked 70th, offering access to 67 destinations.

Nigeria shared the 90th position with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan, each providing visa-free access to 44 destinations.

Globally, Singapore retained the world’s most powerful passport with access to 192 destinations, followed by Japan with 188. South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Sweden jointly ranked third with 187 destinations, while the United States placed 10th with access to 180 destinations.

At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan remained the world’s weakest passport, offering visa-free access to just 22 destinations, followed by Syria with 25 and Iraq with 28.

The latest report comes months after Nigeria climbed from 95th to 89th between January 2024 and April 2026, despite losing visa-free access to countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Somalia, while gaining access to several Pacific island destinations. (The Sun)

Update news