(Ecofin Agency) – Despite the progress of several States compared to previous editions of the ranking, three African passports appear in the world Top 50 and allow you to visit more than 100 countries without prior visa.
The Seychelles passport is the one that opens the most doors for international travel this year, according to the 2025 ranking of the world’s most powerful passports published by British citizenship and residency consultancy Henley & Partners.
The passport of this island state located in the northwest of the Indian Ocean occupies the 25e world rank, and provides access to 156 destinations.
Seychelles thus gains a place in the world ranking compared to 2024 in “The Henley Passport Index 2025”, which ranks 199 passports according to the number of travel destinations to which their holders can access the most freely, without prior visa.
The index also takes into account cases where passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, visit permit or electronic travel authorization (eTA) on entry. The data used to produce this ranking are, among others, those provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which brings together more than 250 airlines.
Mauritius passport (29e world rank) ranks second on the African scale, since it allows easy crossing of the borders of 151 destinations out of a total of 227 destinations studied. Next come South African passports (48e world rank, 106 destinations), Botswana (57e88 destinations), Namibia (62e81 destinations), Lesotho (64e79 destinations), d’Eswatini (65e77 destinations), Malawi (67e75 destinations), you Kenya (68e74 destinations) and Morocco (69e73 destinations).
Thus, three African countries appear in the world Top 50 compared to two in 2024, thanks to the strong progression of South Africa which gained five places in the ranking this year.
The bottom of the African table is occupied by South Sudan (96e world rank), Sudan (97e), Eritrea (98e), Libya (100e) and Somalia (102e).
Globally, the Singaporean passport ranks first among the most useful keys for traveling across the globe, with visa-free access to 195 destinations ahead of those of Japan, Finland, France and Germany.
2025 ranking of the most powerful African passports, according to Henley & Partners:
1- Seychelles (25è rang mondial, 156 destinations)
2- Mauritius (29th, 151)
3- South Africa (48th, 106)
4- Botswana (57th, 88th)
5- Namibia (62nd, 81st)
6- Lesotho (64is, 79)
7- Eswatini (65è, 77)
8- Malawi (67è, 75)
9- Kenya (68è, 74)
10- Maroc (69è, 73)
10- Tanzania (69th, 73rd)
12- Gambia (71st, 71st)
13- Uganda (72nd, 70)
13- Zambia (72nd, 70)
15- Tunisia (73rd, 69)
16- Benin (74th, 68th)
16- Cap-Vert (74è, 68)
16- Ghana (74, 68)
19- Rwanda (76è, 66)
19- Sierra Leone (76è, 66)
21- Mozambique (77th, 65th)
21- Zimbabwe (77è, 65)
23- Sao Tome and Principe (79th, 63)
24- Togo (81è, 61)
25- Burkina Faso (82è, 60)
25- Gabon (82è, 60)
25- Madagascar (82nd, 60)
-28- Ivory Coast (83rd, 59)
29- Guinea (83rd, 59)
30- Mauritania (84th.58th)
30- Senegal (84th, 58th)
32- Equatorial Guinea (85th, 57th)
32- Niger (85th, 57)
34- Algeria (86th, 56)
35- Guinea-Bissau (87th, 55)
35- Mali (87è, 55)
37- Comoros (88th, 54)
38- Central African Republic (89th, 53)
38- Chad (89th, 53)
40- Egypt (90th, 52)
40- Liberia (90is, 52)
42- Angola (91è, 51)
43- Burundi (92nd, 50)
43- Cameroon (92nd, 50)
43- Republic of Congo (92nd, 50)
46- Djibouti (93rd, 49)
47- DRC (94th, 46)
47- Ethiopia (94th, 46)
47- Nigeria (94è, 46)
50- South Sudan (96th, 44)
51- Sudan (97, 43)
52- Eritrea (98th, 42)
53- Libya (100th, 40)
54- Somalia (102nd, 35)
Walid Kefi
Edited by MF Vahid Codjia
Also read:
01/11/2024 – The most advantageous African passports in terms of visa-free mobility in January 2024 (Henley Passport Index)
05/15/2024 – African passports with the most visa-free African destinations (2023)
05/12/2024 – UEMOA: the passports with the most African destinations (2023)
13/10/2021 – Most powerful African passports in the third quarter of 2021: the Henley & Partners ranking
01/14/2020 – What are the most powerful African passports in 2020?
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