Kenyan passport falls two places in global ranking

The Kenyan passport has dropped two places in this year's global ranking, falling to position 69, down from last year’s 67, per the Henley Passport Index.

London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley and Partners ranks 199 passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa, or nations where they can get a visa on arrival.

This year, the ranking shows that Kenya ties with Gambia at the 69th position, with holders of the two countries’ passports able to visit 71 nations visa-free.

Across Africa, Kenya and Gambia ranked 10th this year. The continent’s strongest passport is Seychelles at position 24 globally, with access to 156 destinations visa-free, followed by Mauritius (27; 149 destinations) and South Africa (48; 103 destinations).

In 2021, the Kenyan passport was ranked 77th – the lowest in the last two decades – before climbing up to 71 in 2022. It then slipped two positions in 2023 to 73.

Other passports above Kenya’s on the continent this year are Botswana (59th globally), Namibia (63), Lesotho (65), Eswatini (66), Malawi (67), and Morocco (67).

At the same time, Somalia has the weakest passport on the continent (32 destinations), alongside Libya (38), Eritrea (39), Sudan (41), as well as South Sudan and the D.R. Congo (43).

Globally, the Singaporen passport is the strongest with access to 193 destinations visa-free, followed by Japan and South Korea (190); Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain (189); while Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden came in fourth with access to 188 destinations visa-free.

At No.5 is Greece, New Zealand, Switzerland (187), while the U.K. passport is sixth (186).

Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, and Poland are ranked No.7 (185 destinations), while Canada, Estonia, and the United Arab Emirates (184) are No.8.

At No.9 are Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia, and Slovenia (183).

The U.S. — which held the first position back in 2014 — has slipped down to the 10th place this year, the lowest for the country in the index’s 20-year history.

It holds the tenth position with Iceland and Lithuania, with access to 182 destinations visa-free.

Henley tracks the freedom of movement for holders of the 199 passports to 227 countries and territories around the world, using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).