Global passport ranking: Nigeria 181st out of 196

Nigeria’s passport has been ranked 181st out of 196 countries in the latest IziVisa Passport Ranking Index, highlighting the restrictions Nigerian travellers face when entering foreign countries.

According to The PUNCH, the ranking shows that Nigerian passport holders can visit 24 destinations visa-free, obtain visas on arrival in 16 countries and access 43 destinations through electronic visas.

The result looks like a steep fall from the July 2026 Henley Passport Index, which placed Nigeria 90th of 199 passports, with visa-free access to 44 destinations. That was one place lower than its 89th position in April. However, the two indices use different methodologies and coverage, so their rankings are not directly comparable.

However, both indices use different assessment methods and geographical coverage, meaning the figures cannot establish a direct decline in travel privileges.

IziVisa evaluates passports based on international travel accessibility, including visa-free entry, visas on arrival and electronic visas.

The United Arab Emirates leads the IziVisa list, with access to 185 of 198 destinations through visa-free entry, visas on arrival or electronic visas. Switzerland is second, with 120 visa-free destinations, 26 on arrival and 37 through electronic visas. Luxembourg, Malta, Denmark, Spain and Finland also ranked prominently.

Meanwhile, July’s Henley ranking placed South Africa 49th globally, Botswana 61st, Morocco 67th, Kenya 68th and Ghana 70th.

Nigeria shared 90th position with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan in that assessment.

The contrasting rankings highlight differences in how international passport mobility is measured and reported across global indices today.

Note: The comparison between Nigeria’s 90th position on the Henley index and 181st on IziVisa does not establish that the passport actually fell 91 places, because they are separate ranking systems.