Eight African countries allow visa-free entry to travellers from 198 locations, demonstrating a perfect level of openness
Key takeaways:
Eight African countries, including Burundi, Cape Verde, and Kenya, lead the way with a perfect score of 198, setting the standard for unrestricted accessibility and visa-free entry.
Nations with high scores will likely attract increased tourism, business opportunities, and cultural exchange, positioning themselves as hubs for international engagement.
Nigeria has a score of 49 out of 198, showing a relatively low openness.
Africa’s openness has reached remarkable levels, with eight countries achieving a perfect score of 198 on the Henley Openness Index. These nations have set a benchmark for accessibility by allowing entry to all nationalities without prior visas.
South Africa has doubled from 317,000 units in 1999 to approximately 600,000 units in 2024.
Major peaks were recorded in 2006 (588K), 2016 (616K), and 2018 (632K), while noticeable declines occurred in 2009 (374K) and 2020 (447K), reflecting global economic shocks.
South Africa remains one of the leading vehicle producers in Africa, manufacturing a wide mix of passenger cars, light commercial vehicles (LCVs), trucks, and buses/coaches.
The industry plays a critical role in exports, employment, and industrial development, making South Africa an automotive hub on the continent.
Seychelles holds Africa’s strongest passport, granting visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 156 destinations, and ranks 24th worldwide.
Mauritius follows closely, with a passport index score of 149 and a strong global rank of 27th.
South Africa leads mainland Africa, ranking 48th globally with access to 103 countries.
Southern African countries dominate Africa’s top 10, with Botswana, Namibia, and Lesotho all securing higher index scores than East and North African nations.
Africa’s passport strength varies widely, but island nations lead the way.
Gabon imposes Africa’s highest international air travel tax at $297.70, followed closely by Sierra Leone at $294 and Nigeria at $180.
Libya charges the lowest air travel tax among the listed African countries at just $1.30, with other low-cost countries including Malawi ($5.00), Lesotho ($5.70), and Algeria ($9.80).
All of the 10 most expensive countries charge over $100 in departure taxes, suggesting a trend of high levies among a subset of African nations.
The gap between the highest and lowest air travel taxes in Africa exceeds $296, revealing significant disparities in passenger costs across the continent.
