Advertisement
Nigerian Passport Drops to 181st as Visa-Free Access Declines
Nigeria’s international travel access has declined further, with its passport falling to 181st out of 196 countries in the latest IziVisa Passport Ranking Index.
According to data published, Nigerian passport holders can now travel visa-free to 24 countries, obtain visa on arrival in 16 countries, and access 43 others through electronic visas.
The ranking marks a sharp fall from July 2026, when Nigeria was placed 90th globally with visa-free access to 44 destinations, according to the Henley Passport Index by Henley & Partners.
IziVisa said its ranking is based on the number of destinations a passport holder can access without securing a visa in advance, covering visa-free entry, visa on arrival and e-visa categories as a measure of mobility.
The United Arab Emirates tops the 2026 IziVisa list, with access to 185 of 198 documented destinations through combined visa-free, visa on arrival and e-visa access. Switzerland ranks second, with access to 120 destinations visa-free, 26 via visa on arrival and 37 through e-visa.
Luxembourg, Malta, Denmark, Spain and Finland also featured among the top-ranked passports.
The Henley Passport Index had in July 2026 placed Nigeria 90th out of 199 passports, with a visa-free score of 44 destinations, a one-place drop from 89th in April 2026. That index, which marked its 20th anniversary, assessed 199 passports against 227 destinations using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
On the African continent, South Africa ranked 49th globally with access to 101 destinations, Botswana 61st with 81 destinations, Morocco 67th with 71 destinations, Kenya 68th with 70 destinations, and Ghana 70th with 67 destinations.
Nigeria was then ranked alongside DR Congo and Turkmenistan, each with visa-free access to 44 destinations.
Analysts note that the IziVisa and Henley indices use different methodologies and coverage, so their rankings are not directly comparable, but both point to limited mobility for Nigerian passport holders compared to top-ranked countries.
