Passports of Power in Africa & their 2022 Global Ranks

Henley & Partners, a London-based worldwide citizenship and residence advice organization, has produced its inaugural assessment on the world’s most powerful and least powerful passports for the year 2022.

The firm’s Henley Passport Index assesses how easy it is for passport holders to travel freely from one country to another.Henley Passport Index’s ranking is based on unique data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate travel database.

There are 199 different passports in the index, as well as 227 different vacation destinations. The Henley Passport Indicator, which is updated quarterly, is the most stable and dependable index of its kind.

It organizes the world’s passports into categories based on which countries its holders can travel without a visa.If no visa is necessary, the passport receives a score of 1 for that reason. The same is true if a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) may be obtained at the time of entry.

According to the Henley Passport Index, the gap between the global north and the global south in terms of travel freedoms is expanding. According to the paper, the rising difference is due to coronavirus pandemic limitations enforced by countries as a means of containing the virus’s spread. The worldwide mobility divide is the biggest it has ever been in the index’s 16-year history.

Africa’s ten most powerful passports for 2022

SEYCHELLES

For the second year in a row, Seychelles’ passport has remained the most powerful on the African continent, while moving up one spot in a global rating.

Seychelles is now ranked 28th in the world, up one spot from 29th in 2021. Seychelles passport holders are eligible for visa-free travel to 152 countries.

MAURITIUS

Mauritius’ passport is Africa’s second most powerful passport and the world’s 31st most powerful passport. Holders of a Mauritius passport are eligible for visa-free travel to 146 countries.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa finished in third place. The rainbow nation is ranked 51st in the world, with passport holders having access to 104 nations.

BOTSWANA

Botswana is an isolated African country in the southern hemisphere. It has moved up to 60th place from 62nd place in 2021. It is Africa’s fourth most populous country. Botswana passport holders do not need a visa to visit 86 countries.

NAMIBIA

Namibia has the fifth most powerful passport in Africa, ranked 66th. Namibian passport holders can travel 78 countries without a visa.

ICYMI Read Also: Passports of Power in Africa and their 2019 global ranks

LESOTHO

Lesotho, a small country surrounded by South Africa, was ranked sixth in Africa and 67th worldwide. Passport holders are permitted to travel to 77 countries without obtaining a visa.

ESWATINI

Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered to the northeast by Mozambique and to the north, west, and south by South Africa. Its citizens can visit 74 countries without a visa. It is ranked 69th overall and ninth in Africa on the index.

MALAWI

Malawi’s terrain is marked by highlands divided by the Great Rift Valley and Lake Malawi. Malawi is placed 70 on the index, and its citizens get visa-free travel to 73 countries.

KENYA

The value of a Kenyan passport has dwindled over time. The East African nation, which was ranked 52 in 2006, is now ranked 71, and its passport holders can travel 72 countries without a visa.

TANZANIA

Tanzania is a country in East Africa noted for its large wilderness areas, such as Serengeti National Park’s plains and Kilimanjaro National Park’s peaks. It possesses Africa’s tenth most powerful passport.

Holders of its passport, which is ranked 71 internationally, can travel to 72 countries without a visa.

Source: Henley Passport Index | Face2Face Africa