- Nigerian Passport Ranks 98th Most Powerful Globally
The Nigerian passport has been ranked 98th most powerful passport out of 109 nations, according to Henley Passport Index.
Henley Passport Index showed Nigerian passport holders can travel to 45 different countries without a visa or on a visa-on-arrival basis.
Henley Passport Index ranks passport based on the numbers of countries that passport holder can enter visa-free or on a visa-on-arrival basis.
In Africa, Seychelles has the most powerful passport, presently ranked 27th globally and can access 150 countries without a visa or visa on arrival.
Followed by South Africa, ranked 54 worldwide and can access 99 countries. Botswana ranked 64, Namibia 68, Lesotho 71, Malawi 73, Kenya 74, and Zambia 75 with access to 82 nations, 76, 73, 71, 70, and 69 nations, respectively.
Both Gambia and Tanzania shared 76th position with access to 68 nations each.
Similarly, Cape Verde and Uganda shared 79th position and each can access 65 countries without a visa. Ghana and Zimbabwe are ranked 80th with access to 64 nations without an entry visa.
Japan and Singapore topped the chart with 189 access globally. While South Korea, Germany, and Finland shared the second position with 187 access.
The United Kingdom dropped down the ranking to share sixth place with the US. The country’s lowest since 2014.
Henley Passport Index attributed the UK decline to Brexit uncertainty and warned it could get even worse for the nation.
“The Brexit process has not yet had a direct impact on the UK’s ranking, but new research using exclusive historical data from the Henley Passport Index indicates that this could change, with consequences that extend beyond a decline in passport power.”
Here is the list of 10 most powerful passports
1. Japan, Singapore
2. Germany, South Korea
3. Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg
4. France, Sweden, Spain
5. Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland
6. Belgium, Canada, Greece, Ireland, Norway, United Kingdom, United States
7. Malta – (currently selling Citizenship at 1 million Euro)
8. Czech Republic
9. Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Lithuania
10. Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia.
“This latest research appears to confirm something that many of us already knew intuitively: that increased visa-openness benefits the entire global community and not just the strongest countries,” said Dr Christian H Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and the creator of the passport index concept.
Afghanistan ranked at the bottom of the chart, 109th most powerful passport with just 25 access.