Nigeria improves in global passport ranking, secures 91st spot

Nigeria has moved up one place to 91st in the latest global passport ranking out of 199 countries.

Although the rating marks a slight improvement for Nigeria’s global image, travel access for citizens remains stiff with the country retaining its visa-free access to only 45 nations — same as last year.

Nigeria was ranked 91st alongside Ethiopia and Myanmar, two countries battling incursions from armed groups, according to the Henley Passport Index for 2025.

The Henley Passport Index is updated monthly based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).

In Africa, the Nigerian passport was only ranked above passports from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Libya, and Somalia.

This makes the Nigerian passport the seventh least desirable travel document from Africa. In 2024, it was the sixth.

The rating comes as Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, said the ministry had succeeded in redeeming Nigeria’s image abroad.

Tuggar spoke on Thursday at the ministerial press briefing held in Abuja.

“The next stage is to exalt and glorify Nigeria’s image,” the minister said as he recounted how the ministry negotiated the release of wrongfully imprisoned Nigerians in unnamed countries.

Tuggar did not clarify how the ministry would achieve this goal but noted that the country was committed to applying ethical considerations in implementing its foreign policy while liaising with other nations.

In July 2023, Nigeria was ranked 90th on the global passport list but fell to 97th position below African countries like Burundi, Cameroon, and Liberia, showing a significant shift in the nation’s visa policy.

The passport later made a comeback in 2024 climbing to the 92nd spot.

Meanwhile, Seychelles retained its spot as the most favoured African passport with an improved ranking of 22 — two spots higher than the previous year — with access to an increased 156 countries.

Singapore remained the most powerful passport with access to 193 nations while Afghanistan still held last with access to 25 countries.