Cameroon’s passport is the 86th (out of 104) most powerful passport in the world this year, according to the Henley Passport Index published a few days ago. In other words, the country’s passport is the 18th least powerful passport in the world. Cameroon's passport allows free travel to 52 countries worldwide, including 28 in Africa. Cameroonian passport holders can travel visa-free to African countries such as Benin, Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Madagascar, Comoros, and Seychelles, which has the continent's most powerful passport.

They can also travel to Bolivia (the only American country to which they can travel visa-free), Iran, Dominica, Haiti, Vanuatu, the Philippines, and the Maldives. Cameroon moves up 9 places in this ranking. In 2022, the Cameroonian passport ranked 95th in the world, with access to 51 destinations. However, it comes well behind the Gabonese passport, which appears in this ranking as the most powerful in the CEMAC region. 

Ranked 79th worldwide, the Gabonese passport gives its holders visa-free access to 58 destinations, just ahead of Equatorial Guinea (82nd, 56 countries) and the Central African Republic (CAR), tied with Chad (84th, 54 countries). However, the Cameroonian passport is ahead of the Congolese passport (87th, 51 countries) in the CEMAC zone.

The Singaporean passport is the most powerful in 2023, with visa-free access to 192 countries, according to the index. The second place is held by Germany, Italy, and Spain, which allow visa-free travel to 190 countries worldwide. They are followed by Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden. The passports of these seven countries allow visa-free travel to 189 countries worldwide. The Afghan (104th, 27 countries), Iraqi (103rd, 29 countries), and Syrian (102nd, 30 countries) passports are the weakest on the planet, offering only very limited access to visa-free countries and territories worldwide.

The Henley Passport Index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It ranks a total of 199 passports worldwide and 227 different travel destinations. Updated quarterly, this index is considered the most robust and reliable in its category.

Patricia Ngo Ngouem