AFRICA: Discover the 5 Most Powerful Passports in the Continent; Namibia now 5th

To have a passport is good; but having a powerful passport is even better. That’s why Henley & Partners has published its annual report on the “most powerful” passports in the world. On the list, Japan comes first in the world, and Africa, brace yourselves, it is the Seychelles, which top the list with the world-class 24 ^th.

What is a powerful passport?

The passport of a country is even more powerful if it allows to travel in several countries without visas. On May 22, Henley & Partner has made public during the 13 ^th edition of the Henley passport index charts in 2018.

To do this, the firm processed data from the International Air Transport Association, which groups the entire airlines, with 280 companies. This represents no less than 83% of global air traffic. During the study, it was verified whether the 199 passports taken for the study allow to go to 227 different destinations without a visa.

Every year, data and rankings change, depending on the visa policies of each country.

How is the ranking done?

In order to rank, Henley & Partner awarded 1 point each time a passport allows its holder to travel to a country or territory without a visa. The score is also awarded if the person can obtain a visa on arrival. In case a visa is required for the destination, the score is zero. At the end of the study, the score becomes the number of countries for which no visa is required.

This is how Japan finished at the top with a score of 189 countries. It comes just ahead of Germany, with 188, France, South Korea and Italy with 187. On the African continent, the Seychelles win the palm with 151 countries. Mauritius, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia are next.