2026 Passport Rankings: Uganda Trails Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania in East Africa

What the report says

Nile Post reports that Uganda remains 72nd in the latest Henley Passport Index, with Ugandan passport holders able to enter 65 destinations without securing a visa in advance or by obtaining one on arrival. The ranking leaves Uganda behind Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania in East Africa, according to the 2026 list released by Henley & Partners.

Kenya is listed as the region’s strongest passport, ranking 68th globally with access to 70 destinations, up from 68 destinations in 2025. Rwanda and Tanzania are both placed 69th, with access to 68 destinations each. Nile Post notes that Rwanda improved from 76th in 2025, while Tanzania kept the same global position even though its access count fell from 73 destinations. Uganda’s position is unchanged for a second year, though it has improved from a low of 81st in 2021.

Other East African countries also saw mixed results. Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia all rose in the global table despite fewer accessible destinations, a pattern the report attributes to shifts in the relative performance of passports worldwide. Across Africa, Seychelles remained the top-ranked passport at 23rd globally, followed by Mauritius at 26th.

Globally, Singapore retained first place with access to 192 destinations, while Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates shared second place with 188. The Henley Passport Index uses International Air Transport Association data and compares 199 passports across 227 travel destinations. The ranking matters because it is widely used as a measure of travel freedom and reflects how easily citizens can move internationally for business, education, tourism and family links.