By Aina Ojonugwa

Nigerian passport has been ranked 90th among 199 most powerful countries in the world, showing an improvement from the 100th spot in the same period in 2022.

This is according to the Henley Passport Index, which measures global travel freedom in terms of how much visa-free and visa-on-demand access to the world different citizens enjoy.

The Henley Passport Index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ranks 199 passports worldwide. It is updated in real time throughout the year, as and when visa policy changes come into effect.

Singapore passport ranked first, overtaking Japan, which has remained in the first position for five years consecutively.

However, Nigeria is ranked along South Sudan, whose citizens also have visa-free access to 46 destinations globally and 16 destinations above Syria, whose citizens can only visit 30 destinations visa-free and considered one of the worst passports to hold.

Singapore citizens are able to visit 192 destinations visa-free out of 227 around the world, knocking down Japan to third place for summer, 2023.

Citizens of Germany, Italy and Spain have visa-free access to 190 destinations, therefore, moving up into second place, while Japan and South Korea are joined in the No.3 slot by Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg and Sweden. Citizens from that particular magnificent seven enjoy access to 189 destinations without needing a prior visa.

The ten world’s most powerful passports according to the report are:

1. Singapore (192 destinations)

2. Germany, Italy, Spain (190 destinations)

3. Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden (189)

4. Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, UK (188 destinations)

5. Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland (187 destinations)

6. Australia, Hungary, Poland (186 destinations)

7. Canada, Greece (185 destinations)

8. Lithuania, United States (184 destinations)

9. Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (183 destinations)

10. Estonia, Iceland (182 destinations)

While citizens of the above top 10 countries have access to at least 180 destinations out of 227, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, are considered the worst passports to hold in 2023, with access to 30, 29 and 27 visa-free destinations globally.