Very few people think of passports as an essential part of globalization. We know we need it to move between countries but the freedom of movement itself is core to commerce and communications, two ways the world is made smaller all the time.
Passports are therefore ranked by outlets according to which can get you where fast and problem-free. Various methodologies are used by different passport ranking platforms but the common traits among them are the indices provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and information on which passports exempt you from complex visa applications.
The two most trusted sources of passport ranking are the Henley Passport Index and the Passport Index. It is possible to compare the rankings provided by these research firms and streamline a single passport power league using the metrics from both sources, which is what BlackStars News did.
Before our African list, these were our global chart toppers: A French passport is the most powerful in the world. Passports from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Spain and Singapore are in the upper echelon of the rank. Interestingly, British and American passports get you to fewer places visa-free than Irish, Danish, or Finnish passports (the fact that these nationalities are in the visa-free European Union boosts their utility).
The top 10 African passports do not include regional powerhouses Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt and Kenya. As follows are Africa’s most powerful passports in 2024:
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1. Seychelles – passport gets you to 104 countries visa-free and 41 with a visa on arrival.
2. Mauritius – passport gets you to 102 countries visa-free and 37 with a visa on arrival.
3. South Africa – passport gets you to 67 countries visa-free and 45 with a visa on arrival.
4. Botswana – passport gets you to 53 countries visa-free and 33 with a visa on arrival.
5. Lesotho – passport gets you to 49 countries visa-free and 34 with a visa on arrival,
6. Eswatini (Swaziland) – passport gets you to 40 countries visa-free and 41 with a visa on arrival.
7. Morocco – passport gets you to 40 countries visa-free and 41 with a visa on arrival.
8. Namibia – passport gets you to 46 countries visa-free and 33 with a visa on arrival.
9. Malawi – passport gets you to 45 countries visa-free and 34 with a visa on arrival.
10. Tunisia – passport gets you to 40 countries visa-free and 39 with a visa on arrival.
