Seychelles has Africa’s “most powerful” passport, according to the latest Henley Passport Index with Kenya being ranked 8th.
The Global Mobility Report 2021 Q2, says Seychelles passport gives its holder visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 152 global destinations. Seychelles is ranked 27th globally.
Kenya is ranked 8th and placed in position 72 globally. A person holding a Kenyan passport can get visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 72 destinations across the world.
South Africa, which is ranked in position 53 in the world, has the second most powerful passport on the continent with access to 103 destinations followed by Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, eSwatini, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Tunisia.
The Henley Passport Index (HPI) is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom for their citizens. It started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI) and was modified and renamed in January 2018.
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the passport index, stated that “the latest ranking is a reminder that economic recovery and development are dependent on global mobility, including personal travel freedom, and that passport power should never be taken for granted.”
“The latest results indicate that the gap in travel freedom is now at its largest since the index began in 2006, with Japanese passport holders able to access 167 more destinations than citizens of Afghanistan, who can visit only 26 destinations worldwide without acquiring a visa in advance.”
The site provides a ranking of the 199 passports of the world according to the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free.
In the report, Japan tops the global rankings with its passport presenting visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 destinations. Singapore is in second place with 192 and South Korea tied with Germany at third place with 191 destinations.
China and the United Arab Emirates rose from 90th rank to 68th, and 65th position to 15th, respectively.
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