The Nigerian passport has moved up one place to 91st place in the latest global passport ranking out of 199 countries, the 2025 Henley Passport Index has revealed.
The Henley Passport Index reported that Nigeria is now sharing the 91st position with Ethiopia and Myanmar.
Despite moving up from the 92nd position recorded in 2024, the Henley Passport Index reported that Nigerian travelers continued to face persistent hurdles traveling the world.
The ranking highlighted the limited travel freedom afforded to Nigerian passport holders, who can access just 45 countries visa-free or with visa-on-arrival, a stark contrast to the world’s most powerful passports.
The Henley Passport Index, widely regarded as the authoritative measure of global passport strength, ranks 199 passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
Compiled using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the index offers a reflection of Nigeria’s standing in international mobility.
Within Africa, Nigeria’s passport now ranks above only a select few nations: the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Libya, and Somalia.
This places it among the continent’s least desirable travel documents, a reality that contrasts sharply with countries like Seychelles, which leads Africa with visa-free access to 156 destinations, or South Africa and Botswana, both of which maintain strong positions in the regional top five.
The decline in ranking from 2024, when Nigeria was edged out by fewer African nations, points to a complex interplay of diplomatic relations, security concerns, and economic stability.
This limited reach has practical implications for Nigerian travelers, who often face lengthy visa processes, financial burdens, and outright rejections when seeking to visit more economically advanced countries.
The disparity is particularly striking when compared to passports like those of the United Arab Emirates (10th globally), which offer access to over 180 destinations, or even regional peers like Kenya (9th in Africa), which continues to climb the ranks.
While countries like Ghana (84th) and Morocco (84th) continue to outpace Nigeria, the nation’s travel document remains a symbol of the broader challenges its citizens face in accessing global opportunities.
The announcement of the 2025 Henley Passport Index coincided with remarks from Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
Tuggar asserted that the government has made strides in redeeming Nigeria’s image abroad, citing efforts to secure the release of Nigerians wrongfully detained in foreign countries as a testament to improved diplomatic engagement. “The next stage is to exalt and glorify Nigeria’s image,” he declared.
However, the Nigerian passport ranking 91st place casts a shadow over these claims.
Meanwhile, at the top of the 2025 Henley Passport Index, Singapore retains its crown as the world’s most powerful passport, granting its holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 195 countries.
Japan follows closely with 193 destinations, while a cluster of European nations, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, tie for third with 192.
At the opposite end, Afghanistan remains anchored at the bottom, with access to just 25 nations, illustrating the vast disparity in global mobility.
