South Africa’s passport has weakened over the last year, losing visa-free travel access to some countries and falling seven places on the global rankings over the last year.
In 2025, South Africa was ranked 79th worldwide, which fell to 86th place this year. This is according to Passport Reports, which examines the freedom of travel afforded by passports for 199 countries.
It noted that South Africa’s passport is only slightly above average with a Mobility score of 108 and access to 54.4% of global destinations through simplified entry arrangements, such as visa-free entry, visa on arrival, or Electronic Travel Authorizations (ETAs).
The Mobility score consists of 59 visa-free destinations, 42 destinations available through visa on arrival, and 7 destinations that require an ETA. However, 90 countries still require a visa.
South Africa’s passport is ranked third within the African continent out of 54 passports. It also ranks fourth out of the 11 member countries that now make up BRICS.
It is 15th out of the 19 G20 countries, 26th among Commonwealth nations, and 38th among the 132 G77 countries.
According to Passport Reports, South Africans have total access to 71.7% of Africa via simplified entry arrangements.
South Africa’s global ranking has fallen to its lowest point since the start of the decade. In 2021, when travel restrictions began to ease after the pandemic, it was ranked 84th.
Below is a list of South Africa’s global passport rankings since 2020:
- 2020 (Covid-19 impact) – 56
- 2021 – 84
- 2022 – 85
- 2023 – 84
- 2024 – 81
- 2025 – 79
- 2026 – 86
South African passport holders do not have visa-free access to key destinations, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, or Schengen area countries in Europe.
In terms of world coverage, the passport has a 29.8% visa-free access rate, 3.5% ETA rate, 21.2% visa on arrival rate, and 45.5% visa required rate.
The South African passport offers only 2.1% visa-free access to Europe, 4.3% a visa-on-arrival requirement, and the remaining 93.6% a visa requirement. The only country that doesn’t ask for a visa is Russia.
Other regions offer better coverage. South Africans have visa-free access to 87% of North and Central America (which are grouped as one region by Passport Ranking), including Caribbean countries like the Bahamas. The notable exceptions are the US, Canada, and Mexico.
As far as inbound travel is concerned, South Africa is ranked 92nd among 199 countries.
Loading ...
-facelift-2-2025.10.webp)
