Kenya’s passport has been ranked in the 73rd position in the 2023 edition of the Henley Passport Index‒the most widely-accepted rating of global travel documents.
Kenya’s passport climbed three places from last year’s index, which placed it at position 76 globally.
The latest ranking shows Kenyan citizens can now visit 73 countries without a prior visa.
This makes Kenya’s passport the ninth most powerful travel document in Africa behind Seychelles at position 29th globally with visa-free access to 153 destinations, Mauritius (34th), South Africa (53rd), Botswana (63rd), Namibia (67th), Lesotho (69th), and eSwatini (71st).
Tanzania’s passport, which provides hassle-free entry to 72 destinations, was ranked the 10th best passport on the continent.
Japan bagged the top spot among 199 countries, with her passport allowing its citizens to enter a record 193 destinations without a visa or with a visa on arrival.
Singapore and South Korea share second place with the opportunity to visit 192 destinations without a visa.
Germany and Spain are tied on 190 destinations, followed by Finland, Italy, Luxembourg on 189.
Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden all tied in fifth place, while France, Ireland, Portugal and United Kingdom are at number six.
New Zealand and the United States make an appearance position seven, alongside Belgium, Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
The worst passports to hold in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index, are North Korea (40 destinations, Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations), Somalia (35 destinations, Yemen (34 destinations), Pakistan (32 destinations), Syria (30 destinations), Iraq (29 destinations), and Afghanistan (27 destinations).
The Henley Passport Index ranks countries on the basis of which passports offer the most prolific visa-free, or visa-on-arrival access.
The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association which maintains the world’s largest database of travel information.