Top 10 African Countries with the Most Open Borders in 2023

Henley & Partners Methodology

Each country/territory receives a score of one if passport holders from that country/territory can enter without getting a visa in advance. This applies to instances in which passport holders are granted visa-free entry upon arrival, are granted a visitor’s permit, or can obtain an electronic travel authorization (ETA) without previous official clearance. These visa classes are covered by the visa waiver programs of the destination country.

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A score of 0 is assigned if passport holders require a visa to visit a country/territory or must get a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) prior to departure. Similarly, if passport holders need pre-departure government clearance for a visa on arrival, this is considered non-compliance with the “visa-free” standards and results in a score of 0.

Based on the criteria outlined above, the total Openness Score for each country/territory is equal to the number of countries/territories that do not require a visa (score = 1).

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Using the technique described above, below are the top ten most open African countries. It’s worth noting that the leading four countries on the list are all African, with each achieving a perfect 198. Furthermore, seven of the top ten countries on the list are African, with none earning less than 197.