Nigeria’s passport has fallen one place in the latest Henley Passport Index, placing 90th among the world’s 199 passports.
The July 2026 rankings, released by Henley & Partners, show that Nigerian passport holders can currently travel to 44 destinations without obtaining a visa before departure. Although the country’s visa-free access remains unchanged, its global position dropped from 89th in the previous April ranking to 90th.
Henley & Partners said the annual index measures the strength of passports based on the number of countries and territories their holders can enter without securing a visa in advance. The rankings are compiled using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and cover 227 destinations worldwide.
Singapore retained the world’s most powerful passport with visa-free access to 192 destinations.
Japan followed in second place with access to 188 destinations, while South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Sweden shared third position with access to 187 destinations each.
In Africa, South Africa remained the continent’s highest-ranked passport, sitting 49th globally with visa-free access to 101 destinations.
Nigeria, alongside the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan, occupies 90th place, with passport holders able to enter 44 countries and territories without applying for a visa in advance.
| Rank | Country | Visa-Free Access |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 192 |
| 2 | Japan | 188 |
| 3 | South Korea | 187 |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates | 187 |
| 3 | Sweden | 187 |
| 4 | Belgium | 186 |
| 4 | Denmark | 186 |
| 4 | Finland | 186 |
| 4 | France | 186 |
| 4 | Germany | 186 |
| 4 | Ireland | 186 |
| 4 | Italy | 186 |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 186 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 186 |
| 4 | Norway | 186 |
| 4 | Spain | 186 |
| 5 | Austria | 185 |
| 5 | Greece | 185 |
| 5 | Malta | 185 |
| 5 | Portugal | 185 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 185 |
| 49 | South Africa (Highest in Africa) | 101 |
| 90 | Nigeria | 44 |
| 90 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 44 |
| 90 | Turkmenistan | 44 |
| 104 | Afghanistan | 22 |
