Cameroon ranks low in global passports power for 2025
By Synthia Lateu
Cameroon is among the countries with the least powerful passports in the world. The country ranks 92nd out of the world’s top 106, according to The Henley Passport Index’s 2025 global ranking. It shares this position with Burundi, the Republic of Congo, and Turkmenistan, all of which offer visa-free access to 50 out of the 227 global destinations included in the list.
The Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. This index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and is enhanced by research from Henley and Partners’ team.
With the 2025 ranking, Cameroon is ahead of some African countries, including Djibouti, which ranks 49th with 50 visa-free access points, followed by Nigeria, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, all of which are ranked 94th with 46 visa-free access points.
However, when compared to its CEMAC counterparts, Cameroon is at the bottom. Gabon ranks 82nd with 50 visa-free access points, Equatorial Guinea is 85th with 57, and the Central African Republic (CAR) ranks 89th, tied with Chad, which has 53 visa-free access points.
Movement of Africans Within Africa Remains Challenging
Africans continue to face frustrations when traveling within their continent, despite the African Continental Free Trade Area, established in 2021, aiming to create a unified market for the continent. The African Union has been slow to implement its goal of removing “restrictions on Africans’ ability to travel, work, and live within their own continent by transforming restrictive laws and promoting visa-free travel.”
On the continent, Kenya, Rwanda, Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles have taken bold steps to eliminate visas for all African nationals.
African businessman Dangote reports frustrations that European passports from former colonial powers have more visa-free access in Africa than many African passports.
African Countries Face High Visa Rejection Rates
In the Henley Global Mobility Report Q1 2025, Prof. Mehari Taddele Maru from the School of Transnational Governance and the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute, along with Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, conducted a study comparing the 10 countries facing the highest Schengen visa rejection rates. He revealed that while globally only one in six applications is rejected, one in two African applicants faces rejection.
Despite accounting for just 2.8% of global applications—out of a total of over 10 million worldwide—half of African applicants had their applications rejected in 2023.
“Comoros fares the worst with a 61.3% rejection rate, followed by Guinea-Bissau at 51%, Ghana at 47.5%, Mali at 46.1%, Sudan at 42.3%, and Senegal at 41.2%.” he pointed out.
Prof. Maru highlighted that weak economies and discriminatory policies based on identity and culture explain the high rejection rates for African Schengen visa applicants.
“African citizens find themselves at the bottom of the mobility ladder, which significantly limits their access to international economic opportunities. In short, the poorest individuals face the greatest difficulties when seeking to travel or move to more prosperous countries,” he added.
