Ethiopian passport places 169th worldwide in Passport Reports mobility index

Passport Reports has placed the Ethiopian passport 169th worldwide in its latest ranking of passport mobility, while Ethiopia itself sits 50th among 199 destinations for the ease of entry it offers foreign passport holders. The two positions come from the same 18 October 2026 update but measure opposite directions of travel.

Key facts

• The Ethiopian passport ranks 169th globally in the Passport Reports update dated 18 October 2026.
• Its mobility score is 39, equal to visa-free or simplified access to 19.7% of the 198 destinations counted outside Ethiopia.
• That total covers 13 visa-free destinations, 22 with visas on arrival or comparable facilitated entry, and four in the electronic travel authorisation category.
• An advance visa is required for the remaining 159 destinations.
• Ethiopia ranks 50th of 199 destinations for the entry access it grants foreign passport holders.

What do the two rankings measure?

Passport Reports, which publishes passport analyses for 199 countries in 34 languages, uses two separate measures. The passport mobility score reflects trips abroad by Ethiopian citizens, while the inbound ranking reflects how easily foreign passport holders can enter Ethiopia.

Where can Ethiopian passport holders go without an advance visa?

Kenya, Rwanda, Gambia and Singapore are among the visa-free destinations recorded. Singapore still requires an arrival card and lists a 30-day stay, and Suriname is visa-free with a tourist-card procedure and a 90-day stay — a reminder that visa-free status does not always mean travel without entry formalities.

The electronic travel authorisation category includes Côte d'Ivoire, with pre-enrolment and a stated 90-day stay, and Seychelles, with tourist registration and a stated 90-day stay. Under visas on arrival, Cambodia lists a 30-day stay with an electronic visa (e-Visa) also available, Djibouti lists 90 days, and Thailand lists 15 days. These conditions apply only to the destinations named.

How does Ethiopia compare with other passports?

Ethiopia places 49th out of 54 African passports and 49th among 54 African Union countries. It ranks 10th of 11 BRICS countries and 116th of 132 countries in the G77 comparison. In smaller thematic groups it ranks first among two countries grouped by Somali as an official language, first among two grouped by Tigrinya, and fourth among eight federal parliamentary republics.

What would a Schengen scenario change?

Ethiopia is not a Schengen Area member, and Passport Reports lists advance visas as required for Ethiopian nationals at each of the 29 Schengen destinations counted. If those 29 destinations granted visa-free entry with all other rules unchanged, Ethiopia's hypothetical ranking would be 106th, its mobility score would rise from 39 to 68, its visa-free count from 13 to 42, and its advance-visa count would fall from 159 to 130, for an access share of 34.3%. That would place it below Botswana, on 69 points, and ahead of Morocco, which has 68 points and 40 visa-free destinations.

What this means for travellers

Ethiopian passport holders should check the entry category that applies to their destination before booking, since visa-free, visa on arrival and electronic travel authorisation arrangements each carry different formalities and stated stay limits. The Schengen figures are a conditional calculation only, not an announced policy change.

Passport Reports notes that different passport indexes can produce different rankings because they classify travel permissions and resolve ties differently. Its mobility score adds visa-free destinations, visa-on-arrival or facilitated-entry destinations and electronic travel authorisation destinations, with ties sharing the same rank.