Data from the Henley Passport Index reports between 2006 and 2022, has revealed that the Nigerian passport has fallen by 38 places in a global passport ranking in the last 17 years.
The Henley Passport Index assigns a score to each passport based on how many countries its owners can enter without a visa or through a program that grants them one upon arrival.
Nigeria’s passport expanded its travel options by 11, yet its ranking dropped from 62nd in 2006 to 100th in 2022.
This demonstrates a consistent weakening across the 199 countries and 227 tourism destinations examined.
Despite the fact that 46 countries now accept green passport holders without a visa or with a visa on arrival, up from 35 in 2006, Nigerians are still unable to travel to more than 181 other countries.
Travelers with Nigerian passports will only be able to enter 25 nations without a visa as of September 2022.
However, when visa-on-arrival or e-visa programs are included, the total increases to at least 46 locations.
Countries offering visa-free, visa-on-arrival and e-visa access to Nigerians as of the time of this report include: Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Cabo Verde, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique , Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Others include: Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Fiji, Micronesia, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
A decline or gain in ranking, according to the Henley Passport Index, which is based on information from the International Air Transport Association, is the result of a number of variables.
They include the nation’s efforts to improve border security, modernize its visa application procedures, and strengthen diplomatic ties with neighboring countries.
