South Africa’s passport has fallen seven places to 86th in the 2026 Passport Reports global ranking, down from 79th the previous year and its lowest position in more than a decade, according to data published October 7.
The country’s Mobility Score dropped from 110 to 108 accessible destinations, made up of 59 visa-free countries, 42 offering visa-on-arrival and seven reachable via Electronic Travel Authorisation, giving South African travelers simplified entry to 54.4 percent of the world’s destinations. Passport Reports, an independent global mobility index covering 199 countries, did not specify which countries tightened access, though it noted that differing methodologies across indexes, including Henley’s, can produce varying results.
The decline caps a volatile decade for the passport, which ranked 56th in 2020 before slipping into the mid-80s for most years since, briefly recovering to 79th in 2025 only to fall further this year. South Africa still ranks third among Africa’s 54 passports, behind only Seychelles and Mauritius, and fourth among BRICS nations, with access to 71.7 percent of destinations across the continent.
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has not issued an official response to the ranking.
Source: BusinessTech
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