Johannesburg – South Africa’s passport ranks 86th globally in the latest South African Passport Ranking, with a Mobility Score of 108 and access to 54.5% of destinations through visa-free entry, visa on arrival or simplified entry arrangements, and Electronic Travel Authorization.
The data are published by Passport Reports, which prepares and publishes passport reports for 199 countries in 34 languages.
The score is made up of 59 visa-free destinations, 42 destinations available through visa on arrival or the same simplified-entry category, and 7 destinations requiring Electronic Travel Authorization.
A further 90 destinations require a visa before travel. The three easier-access categories add up to the Mobility Score of 108.
South Africa ranks third in Africa
Within Africa, South Africa places 3rd among 54 passports.
It also ranks 3rd among 54 African Union members, 4th among 11 BRICS countries, 15th among 19 G20 countries, 26th among 56 Commonwealth countries and 38th among 132 G77 countries.
Passport Reports records total access across Africa at 71.7%, combining visa-free, simplified-entry and Electronic Travel Authorization access.
Inbound access is measured separately
The report separates outbound passport strength from the rules faced by foreign passport holders entering the country.
On the welcoming measure, South Africa ranks 92nd among 199 countries.
The South Africa visa requirements context therefore concerns entry into South Africa, rather than travel by South African passport holders.
Passport Reports also records reciprocity signals in both directions without assigning a political or diplomatic judgment to those differences.
Entry procedures vary by destination
The source data show that access conditions can include additional procedures even where a full visa is not required.
Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are listed with arrival-card requirements; Côte d’Ivoire is listed with pre-registration; Seychelles with tourist registration; and Cabo Verde with the EASE procedure.
The report also records maximum stays for many routes, including 360 days in Georgia, 180 days in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Peru, and 90 days across numerous destinations.
The overall picture is therefore broader than a single visa-free count.
South Africa’s 86th global position combines 59 visa-free destinations with other facilitated forms of entry, while the separate welcoming ranking and reciprocity signals describe the opposite direction of travel into South Africa.
Different passport indexes can reach different ranking results because they may include different access types, classify categories differently, apply different scoring priorities or use different tie-breaking rules.
Passport Reports applies the same pre-defined and measurable criteria to every passport: passports are ranked first by Mobility Score, defined as the total of visa-free destinations, destinations accessible through visa on arrival or the same simplified-entry category, and destinations accessible with Electronic Travel Authorization.
If Mobility Scores are equal, visa-free access is compared first, followed by Electronic Travel Authorization and then visa on arrival or the relevant simplified-entry category; if all four values are identical, the passports share the same rank.
This fixed sequence makes the method transparent and consistent because the ranking logic is stated in advance and applied equally across all passports.
Source: Passport Reports
