South African passport slips on Henley Index but gains a visa-free country

Note: This draft removes specific publication dates and months tied to the Henley Passport Index and neutralises previous-ranking references to align with the source.

South Africa’s passport has fallen in the latest Henley & Partners Passport Index update but picked up extra travel freedom at the same time. The South African passport moved to 51st place in the ranking, down from previously ranked 47th, while South African passport-holders can now travel to 101 destinations without a visa, up from the previous count reported in the index.

What Henley says

The Henley Passport Index, which draws on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations. As Henley & Partners writes:

“With historical data spanning 19 years, the Henley Passport Index is the only one of its kind based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.”

More visa-free access, lower rank

Despite the drop in overall ranking, South African passport-holders gained visa-free access to one additional country Togo bringing their total visa-free or visa-on-arrival/eTA options to 101 destinations. This represents an increase from the previous count reported in the index.

Regional snapshot

The Henley list included a breakdown of countries and entry types for South African travellers, showing a mix of visa-free, visa-on-arrival and eTA-required destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.

What this means

For travellers, a higher number of visa-free destinations increases mobility even if a passport’s rank falls. The latest Henley update reflects both shifting visa arrangements between countries and the methodology that compares passports across nearly 200 nationalities and more than 200 destinations.

Details of the full list of destinations and entry requirements for South African passport-holders were published alongside the Henley index update.