10 African Countries with the Most Respected Passport

This list is courtesy of Henley and Partners.
Seychelles takes first place on this list.

At its core, a powerful passport eases travel across borders. Over the past year, various regions globally have adjusted their travel policies for diverse reasons, which has either facilitated or restricted access to their borders. Concurrently, numerous governments globally are actively pursuing initiatives to enhance the strength of their passports.

The importance of countries possessing powerful passports cannot be overstated. Beyond the convenience of travel, these passports unlock doors to economic opportunities, strengthen diplomatic ties, promote cultural exchange, empower citizens, and attract global talent.

As the world becomes more interconnected, Africans are recognizing the potential benefits of investing in the strength of their passports.

Many African nations are on a mission to position themselves as key players in the global arena, contributing to the collective progress of the continent and fostering a brighter future for their citizens.

Since June 2023, all of the African countries that have the 10 most powerful passports now have even more powerful passports. For example, the Seychelles passport is now allowed in 156 countries as opposed to 153 in June last year. Likewise, the Tanzanian passport is now allowed in 73 destinations as opposed to 71 mid-way last year.

According to Henley and Partners, “A powerful passport is a conduit to economic opportunity and well-being. Far more than a travel document that defines our freedom of movement, a strong passport also provides significant financial freedoms in terms of international investment and business opportunities.”

Henley and Partners, a firm focused on residence and citizenship by investment, recently released its passport index for Q1 of 2024.

“Combining Henley Passport Index data and World Bank GDP data, this interactive tool ranks all 199 passports in the world in terms of their Henley Passport Power (HPP) score, an indicator of the percentage of global GDP each passport provides to its holders visa-free.”

With that said, here are the 10 African countries with the most powerful passports for Q1 of 2024.

Rank	Country	Economic Mobility Score (Visa-Free Access to Global GDP)	Global Visa-Free Access (Out of 226 Destinations)	Global Rank
1.	Seychelles	55.89%	156	26th
2.	Mauritius	57.68%	150	30th
3.	South Africa	16.37%	108	53rd
4.	Botswana	14.77%	91	59th
5.	Lesotho	12.6%	80	65th
6.	Namibia	8.33%	80	65th
7.	eSwatini	8.34%	78	66th
8.	Kenya	5.48%	76	67th
9.	Malawi	5.1%	76	67th
10.	Tanzania	4.92%	76	69th