Ghana’s ECOWAS passport has been ranked 80th out of 199 globally, and it can access 65 destinations without visa requirements.
This is according to the 2023 Global Passport Ranking Index by Henley and Partners, a passport rating agency.
The ranking which was based on visa-free destinations accessible by a country’s passport has ranked Ghana’s passport at 80th position with Cuba and Morocco out of the 199 passports and 227 destinations globally.
Japan’s passport is the first and other countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Germany and, USA are among others within the first ten highly rated and accepted.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s passport is ahead of its neighbours such as Togo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Rwanda on the continent.
The highest Ghana’s passport ranking has attained was 53rd in 2006 while its worst was 84th in 2021. The current rating at the 80th position is a clear signal of a drift towards positive gains.
According to Henley and Partners, a country’s visa-free status with a passport is considered to be valid, the passport is normal, holders of such passports have completed all required vaccinations and also use the same airport during arrival and departure as the key parameters.
The best passports to hold in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index
1. Japan (193 destinations)
2. Singapore, South Korea (192 destinations)
3. Germany, Spain (190 destinations)
4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189 destinations)
5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden (188 destinations)
6. France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom (187 destinations)
7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States, Czech Republic (186 destinations)
8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)
9. Hungary, Poland (184 destinations)
10. Lithuania, Slovakia (183 destinations)
Several countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 40 or fewer countries. These include:
102. North Korea (40 destinations)
103. Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations)
104. Somalia (35 destinations)
105. Yemen (34 destinations)
106. Pakistan (32 destinations)
107. Syria (30 destinations)
108. Iraq (29 destinations)
109. Afghanistan (27 destinations)