South Africa’s passport shoots up 2025 global rankings

South Africa’s passport has gained five places on the Henley Passport Index for 2025, ranking among the top 50 strongest passports in the world.
The last time the local passport ranked in the top 50 was in 2014, over a decade ago.
This marks a significant milestone, reflecting improved mobility for South African passport holders, even as global trends show growing disparities in passport strength.
The Henley Passport Index, widely regarded as the most authoritative measure of passport power, serves as the benchmark for these rankings.
With historical data spanning 19 years, the index evaluates 199 passports against 227 travel destinations, relying on data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and extensive supplementary research.
Updated monthly, the index provides a robust view of global mobility.
While South Africa’s rise is noteworthy, the improvement comes despite losing visa-free access to Ireland, reducing the total number of accessible destinations.
This change underscores the challenges of maintaining or expanding travel privileges, particularly as European Union (EU) member states like Finland, France, Germany, and Italy also experienced setbacks, losing visa-free access to certain countries.
Despite this, these EU nations remain among the strongest passports globally, offering visa-free travel to 192 destinations, only slightly behind Singapore and Japan, which top the index with access to 195 and 193 countries, respectively.
Rank | Country | Access |
1 | Singapore | 195 |
2 | Japan | 193 |
3 | Finland | 192 |
3 | France | 192 |
3 | Germany | 192 |
3 | Italy | 192 |
3 | South Korea | 192 |
3 | Spain | 192 |
4 | Austria | 191 |
4 | Denmark | 191 |
4 | Ireland | 191 |
4 | Luxembourg | 191 |
4 | Netherlands | 191 |
4 | Norway | 191 |
4 | Sweden | 191 |
5 | Belgium | 190 |
5 | New Zealand | 190 |
5 | Portugal | 190 |
5 | Switzerland | 190 |
5 | United Kingdom | 190 |
46 | Turkey | 116 |
47 | Qatar | 112 |
48 | South Africa | 106 |
49 | Belize | 103 |
50 | Kuwait | 99 |
105 | Syria | 27 |
106 | Afghanistan | 26 |

South Africa’s position in the rankings has fluctuated significantly over the years.
After reaching a high of 35th place in 2009, it dropped to a low of 58th in 2021. The current rise to 48th place signals a positive shift, albeit in a landscape where global mobility gaps have widened.
On average, travellers today can access over 100 destinations visa-free, nearly double the 58 destinations available in 2006.
However, the gap between the most and least mobile passports remains stark. For example, Afghanistan’s passport ranked lowest, and it grants visa-free access to just 26 countries—a staggering 169 fewer than the top-ranked nation.
Despite its improved ranking, the South African passport still requires visas for popular emigration destinations such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.
In Europe, visa-free access has now diminished to just three countries: Georgia, Kosovo, and the Russian Federation.
This reduction is particularly significant as Ireland was one of only four European nations offering visa-free travel to South Africans.
Nonetheless, many countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Caribbean continue to welcome South African travellers without visa restrictions.
The rise in the rankings is a testament to the enduring value of the South African passport, even as global travel dynamics evolve and new challenges emerge.
The 106 countries that South Africans can visit without a visa can be seen in the infographic below.

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