Nigeria: Nigeria Drops to 90th in Latest Global Passport Ranking

What the report says

Vanguard, in a report distributed by AllAfrica, says Nigeria has fallen to 90th place in the July 2026 Henley Passport Index. The ranking gives Nigerian passport holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival-style access, as defined by the index, to 44 destinations without securing a visa before travel. The July list was released by Henley & Partners on Tuesday and assessed 199 passports against 227 destinations, using data from the International Air Transport Association.

The report says Nigeria slipped one position from 89th in the April 2026 edition, though its visa-free score stayed at 44. Nigeria is listed at the same level as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan. Vanguard also noted that Nigeria had improved from 95th in January 2024 to 89th by April 2026, even as its access score edged down from 45 to 44 over that period.

Within Africa, South Africa remained the highest-ranked passport, placed 49th globally with access to 101 destinations. Botswana was ranked 61st with 81 destinations, Morocco 67th with 71, Kenya 68th with 70, and Ghana 70th with 67. Vanguard cited Henley’s April 2026 report as saying Nigeria had lost access to some countries in recent years, while gaining access to several Pacific island destinations.

Globally, Singapore remained at the top with access to 192 destinations, followed by Japan with 188. South Korea and the United Arab Emirates shared third place with 187. Afghanistan was placed last, with access to 22 destinations. Passport rankings matter because they reflect the relative ease with which citizens can travel for business, education, tourism and family reasons, although they do not by themselves explain the diplomatic or policy causes behind access changes.