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.
The United Arab Emirates tops the list with immigrants making up 88% of its total population.
Qatar follows closely with 87% of its residents being immigrants.
Kuwait (73%) and Bahrain (55%) also feature prominently, showing a regional trend where nationals are a minority and foreign workers form the economic backbone
Middle Eastern dominance in the top rankings highlights how the Gulf region’s economic model is heavily dependent on imported labor and expatriate populations.
Only four African countries, Seychelles, South Africa, Namibia, and Ghana, meet or exceed the WHO’s recommended minimum of 44.5 nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 people.
Seychelles leads the continent with 73 personnel per 10,000, followed by South Africa (64), Namibia (54), and Ghana (45).
The lowest number within the top 20 is 16, shared by Nigeria, Comoros, and Mauritania.
The dataset includes 47 African countries, and no country outside the top 20 has more than 16 nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 people.
