Nigeria has slipped one place to 90th on the latest Henley Passport Index, with holders of the Nigerian passport now able to travel to only 44 destinations without securing a visa before departure.
The July 2026 ranking, released by global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners to mark the 20th anniversary of the index, assessed 199 passports using data from the International Air Transport Association.
Despite retaining visa-free access to 44 destinations, Nigeria dropped from 89th position in the April 2026 edition of the index to 90th in the latest rankings.
Within Africa, South Africa maintained its position as the continent’s strongest passport, ranking 49th globally with access to 101 destinations without a prior visa. Botswana followed in 61st place with 81 destinations, while Morocco ranked 67th with 71 destinations. Kenya occupied 68th position with access to 70 destinations, while Ghana came 70th with 67 destinations.
Nigeria shares the 90th position with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan, all offering visa-free travel to 44 destinations.
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Globally, Singapore retained its status as the world’s most powerful passport, providing visa-free access to 192 destinations. Japan placed second with access to 188 countries, while South Korea and the United Arab Emirates jointly ranked third with 187 destinations. The United States was ranked 10th with access to 180 destinations.
At the bottom of the index, Afghanistan remained the world’s weakest passport, granting visa-free access to just 22 destinations. Syria ranked 103rd with 25 destinations, while Iraq occupied 102nd position with access to 28 countries.
The latest ranking comes after Nigeria had climbed six places on the Henley Passport Index between January 2024 and April 2026, moving from 95th to 89th despite its visa-free access declining from 45 to 44 destinations over the period. According to Henley & Partners, Nigeria has lost visa-free access to countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mauritania, São Tomé and PrÃncipe, and Somalia in recent years, although it gained access to several Pacific island destinations.