Ethiopia’s passport ranks among some of the weakest in the world.
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What’s the biggest barrier to traveling the world? Most would say, “the cost of plane tickets,” and they’d be right. But even if you overcome that, another hurdle remains: your passport and its visa privileges.
Passport strength refers to the number of other countries or territories a passport holder can enter without needing a prior visa or with a visa on arrival. People from countries with stronger passports can enter and leave countries (with limitations, of course) without having to go through the long process of obtaining a travel visa. The opposite is true for people with weak passports, as they have to go through weeks or months-long processes to obtain a visa.
What Determines Passport Strength?
The determinants of passport strength are many, and each factor may have varying effects across countries. But the most consistent predictor of passport strength is income. High-income countries tend to have some of the strongest passports in the world. The list of the 10 countries with the strongest passports is exclusively populated by high-income countries such as Luxembourg, Japan, Singapore, Finland, and Switzerland.
Countries are more likely to open their doors to wealthier travelers, as it would lead to economic benefit through tourism and trade. Furthermore, individuals from wealthy countries are unlikely to overstay their visas, placing less burden on the host country’s social and economic system.
Another strong determinant is state fragility. Individuals from peaceful and stable states are likely to have strong passports, while unstable, war-torn countries have weak passports. As with income, individuals from fragile nations have a high risk of overstaying their visa, resulting in the restriction.
Another factor that may not be a strong determinant but still plays a role is diplomatic relations. For example, countries that maintain strong bilateral ties with the U.S., often through economic or military assistance, may receive favorable visa arrangements. Conversely, countries with strained relations may face stricter visa requirements.
What’s Ethiopia’s Passport Rank?
According to a global passport ranking by Henley & Partners, Ethiopia ranks 87th out of 98, being able to enter only 45 countries. Afghanistan ranks last, while Singapore has the strongest passport in the world. Now you know why you can’t go to nice places.
What Should be Done?
Aside from growing the economy and stabilizing the country, Ethiopia needs to strengthen its diplomatic relations and pursue bilateral agreements that ease visa restrictions for its citizens. While this may be hard to implement with European countries, this is definitely possible between African countries. Expanding international partnerships and fostering trust with other African nations can gradually improve the travel freedom of Ethiopian passport holders. Not just Ethiopians, but through regional schemes, all African countries can have stronger passports.
