July 25, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian passport has been ranked 88th out of 99 countries on the latest Henley Passport Index, released on July 18.
Nigeria shares the 88th position with Ethiopia and Myanmar, the same countries Nigeria was grouped with earlier in the year when it was ranked 91st.
The ranking reflects a notable improvement in global mobility for Nigerian passport holders.
The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
With historical data spanning 19 years, the Henley Passport Index is the only one of its kind based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team.
The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. Updated monthly, the Henley Passport Index is considered the standard reference tool for global citizens and sovereign states when assessing where a passport ranks on the global mobility spectrum.
In the latest release, which captured only 99 countries, Singapore ranked 1st, followed by Japan and South Korea in 2nd position.
Making 3rd are: Denmark. Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain. The 4th position is occupied by Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.
While Greece, New Zealand and Switzerland made the 5th position, the United Kingdom was ranked 6th, and Australia, Czechia, Hungary, Malta and Poland ranked 7th.
At the 8th position are Canada, Estonia and the United Arab Emirates.
Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia made the 9th position. At the 10th spot are Iceland, Lithuania and the United States.
While China made it to the 60th Spot, Malawi and Morocco were ranked 67th, Kenya and The Gambia made the 69th spot and Tanzania 70th.
Cape Verde Islands, Benin Republic, Ghana, Tunisia, Uganda. Zambia and Sierra Leone occupied the 71st and 72nd positions, respectively. Rwanda and Zimbabwe made the 73rd spot, Mozambique occupied the 74th spot, and Togo made the 76th spot.
However, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal occupied the 77th spot; Gabon and Madagascar occupied the 78th position.
At the 79th spot are Guinea, Mauritania and the Niger Republic, while Equatorial Guinea occupied the 80th position.
Algeria and Mali occupied the 81 spot, Guinea-Bissau, 82 and Chad. 83. At the 84th spot are the Central African Republic and Liberia, while Cameroon and Egypt made 85th; then Angola, Burundi and Congo (Rep) occupied the 86th spot.
While Nigeria and Ethiopia shared the 88th spot, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan made 90th and Sundan at 92nd spot.
Eritrea, Libya and Somalia made the 93, 95 and 96th spots, respectively. The last was Afghanistan, which occupied the 99th spot.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
