The latest Henley Passport Index from immigration consultancy Henley &
Partners, Kenya’s passport has been ranked as the 73rd most powerful
passport globally and the 9th most powerful passport in Africa.
In the 2023 edition of the index, Kenya’s passport climbed three places
from the previous year, allowing Kenyan citizens to visit 73 countries
without a prior visa.
The ranking shows that Seychelles has the most powerful passport in
Africa, with visa-free access to 153 destinations, followed by Mauritius,
South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and eSwatini.
Kenya’s passport is the 9th most powerful on the continent, just behind
Tanzania which provides hassle-free entry to 72 destinations.
Japan holds the top spot globally, allowing citizens to enter 193
destinations without a visa or with a visa on arrival, followed by Singapore
and South Korea who both allow entry to 192 destinations without a visa.
According to the 2023 edition of the Henley Passport Index, Germany and
Spain share the 4th spot, with visa-free access to 190 destinations, followed
by Finland, Italy and Luxembourg, who all offer visa-free access to 189
destinations.
Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden tie for fifth place, while France,
Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom share the 6th position.
New Zealand and the United States are at number seven, together with
Belgium, Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
The Index ranks countries based on the number of destinations their
passport holders can access without a prior visa, and is updated in real-time
as visa policy changes occur.
On the other end of the spectrum, the worst passports to hold in 2023,
according to the Henley Passport Index, are North Korea (40 destinations),
Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations), Somalia (35 destinations),
Yemen (34 destinations), Pakistan (32 destinations), Syria (30
destinations), Iraq (29 destinations), and Afghanistan (27 destinations).
The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport
Association, which maintains the world’s largest database of travel
information, and is one of several indexes created by financial firms to rank
global passports according to the access they provide to citizens.
