Namibia’s passport has been ranked 65 globally, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, granting visa-free access to 80 countries.
This is a slip from the 62nd ranking last year which can be attributed to a reduction in the number of countries its citizens can visit without a visa after the United Kingdom introduced visa requirements for all Namibians late last year.
Within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Namibia’s passport performs strongly. In comparison with neighboring nations, Namibia ranks 5th, sharing the ranking with Lesotho.
Seychelles holds the highest ranking in the region and the continent with a global ranking of 26 and the ability to travel visa free to 156 countries. Mauritius, South Africa and Botswana are all ranked 30th, 53rd and 59th respectively.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola have the lowest rankings in the region with 94th and able to travel to 46 countries and 88th and 53 countries each. While Somalia holds the lowest ranking in the continent with a 99th ranking.
France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as part of the European Union, align with Japan and Singapore in having the best passports globally. Citizens of these six nations enjoy visa-free access to an impressive 194 destinations out of 227 worldwide.
Holding the top position on the index for the past five years, Japan and Singapore continue to dominate.
The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
The ranking is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Association, which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information and is enhanced by the Henley and Partners research department.
