No visa required: Africa’s most powerful passports

Seychelles is the African country whose citizens have the most freedom to visit other countries around the globe, while Eritrean passport holders have the hardest time travelling.

A new infographic, designed by Rosie Spinks for GOOD magazine, ranks countries according to the number of places their passports can enter either without a visa, or with a visa on arrival.

The research shows that passport holders from Seychelles can visit 126 countries without having to apply for a visa. Mauritius, South Africa and Botswana are the African countries ranked in second, third and fourth places respectively. Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, features in joint 33rd position.

Globally, passports from Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom are the most powerful, allowing citizens easy access to 173 countries. Afghanistan is the lowest ranked country.

Strict visa requirements between African countries have been blamed for holding back economic growth. “Africa is one of the regions in the world with the highest visa requirements. Visa restrictions imply missed economic opportunities for intra-regional trade and for the local service economy such as tourism, cross-country medical services or education”, said Mthuli Ncube, chief economist and vice-president of the African Development Bank, during a conference last year.

Note: The original infographic doesn’t include Liberia or Somalia, and both the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of the Congo are referred to as “Congo”.

Africa’s most powerful passports