Passport power: A new era for South Africa?

Passport power: A new era for South Africa?

Big news for South African travellers! Here’s what's behind the country's passport ranking boost.

South African passport
iStock photo

South Africa has climbed the latest Henley Passport rankings, returning to the list of the top 50 strongest passports in the world for the first time since 2014. According to the Henley Passport Index, which compares the visa-free access of 199 passports to 227 travel destinations, South Africa has jumped from 53rd in 2024 to 48th in 2025. 

The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and enhanced by Henley & Partners' research team.

The South African passport allows visa-free access to 103 countries, despite recently losing visa-free access to several notable countries, including Ireland and Nigeria. Ireland stopped visa-free access due to heightened fraud involving South African passports, while Nigeria moved to an e-visa system to prevent illicit trade. Nevertheless, the passport remains relatively strong.

Important notes:

- Current Ranking: 48th in the world, up from 53rd in 2024

- Visa-Free Access: 103 countries

- Top Passport Holders: Singapore, Japan and South Korea lead the rankings with visa-free access to 193 and 190 destinations, respectively.

South Africa's climb in the official rankings is attributed to other countries falling down the list rather than any significant change in the number of countries local passport holders can access visa-free, reports BusinessTech.

 In contrast, Nomad Capitalist's rankings, which consider factors beyond visa-free access, rated the South African passport as the 100th most powerful passport in the world.

Passport Strength Factors:

- Visa-Free Travel: 50% of the score

- Taxation: 20% of the score

- Global Perception: 10% of the score

- Ability to Hold Dual Citizenship: 10% of the score

- Personal Freedom: 10% of the score

While South Africa's total score improved from 67 in 2024 to 68.5 in 2025, it was still insufficient to push it up the rankings in the Nomad Capitalist index. 

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