The 2025 ranking of the most powerful passports, published by Henley & Partners, reveals a notable performance of African passports. Three of them are in the global Top 50, providing visa-free access to more than 100 countries.
At the top of the African list, Seychelles ranks 25th in the world, allowing visa-free travel to 156 destinations. Mauritius follows closely, in 29th position with access to 151 destinations. South Africa, ranked 48th, is making significant progress, moving up five places compared to 2024, and allows you to visit 106 countries without a visa.
Other successful African passports include Botswana (57th globally, 88 destinations), Namibia (62nd globally, 81 destinations) and Lesotho (64th globally, 79 destinations). Other countries like Malawi, Kenya, Morocco and Tanzania also stand out, offering access to 73 destinations each.
Senegal ranks 30th in Africa and 84th in the world, with visa-free access to 58 destinations. However, some African countries remain far behind, with passports ranked among the least powerful in the world, such as those of South Sudan (96th in the world), Sudan (97th) and Somalia (102nd). Globally, the Singapore passport remains the most powerful, allowing visa-free travel to 195 destinations.
