Nigeria Loses 20 Visa-Free Destinations as Passport Ranking Plummets
Nigeria’s international travel access has suffered a significant setback, with the country’s passport ranking plunging to 181st position in the latest IziVisa Passport Ranking Index, down from 90th in July 2026.
Data published on IziVisa.com showed that Nigerian passport holders can now travel to 24 countries without a visa, obtain visas on arrival in 16 countries and access another 43 destinations through electronic visas.
The latest figures represent a sharp decline from the 44 visa-free destinations recorded for Nigeria in July, indicating a reduction in the number of countries Nigerians can visit without securing prior travel authorisation.
According to IziVisa, its ranking measures passport strength based on the international destinations accessible to holders without obtaining a visa beforehand. The index also considers visa-on-arrival and electronic visa arrangements in assessing global mobility.
The United Arab Emirates topped the 2026 IziVisa ranking, offering access to 185 of the 198 destinations covered through visa-free entry, visas on arrival or electronic visas.
Switzerland ranked second, with access to 120 destinations without a visa, 26 offering visas on arrival and 37 accessible through electronic visas.
Other countries featuring prominently among the highest-ranked passports included Luxembourg, Malta, Denmark, Spain and Finland.
The latest IziVisa figures contrast with Nigeria’s performance in the July 2026 Henley Passport Index, which placed the country 90th out of 199 passports, with visa-free access to 44 destinations.
The Henley ranking, published by Henley & Partners, recorded a one-place decline from Nigeria’s 89th position in April 2026, although the country’s visa-free score remained unchanged.
The index assessed 199 passports against 227 travel destinations using data from the International Air Transport Association.
Among African countries, South Africa ranked 49th globally, with visa-free access to 101 destinations. Botswana placed 61st with access to 81 destinations, while Morocco ranked 67th with 71 destinations.
Kenya occupied 68th position, offering access to 70 destinations, while Ghana ranked 70th with a visa-free score of 67.
Nigeria shared its position in the Henley ranking with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan, whose passports also provided visa-free access to 44 destinations.
However, the IziVisa and Henley rankings use different methodologies and destination coverage, meaning their positions and scores should not be compared directly.
The latest figures nevertheless highlight the wide disparities in international travel access between countries, with passport strength remaining an important measure of freedom of movement.
