South African passport vs Egyptian passport: which is stronger?

The South African passport is stronger: it reaches 96 destinations without an embassy visit, 46 more than the Egyptian passport (50). The South African passport ranks 94 of 197 and the Egyptian passport ranks 160.

The South African passport: 96 (58 visa-free, 33 on arrival, 5 eTA). The Egyptian passport: 50 (17 visa-free, 31 on arrival, 2 eTA). Both count the 196 other sovereign countries.

The South African passport can enter 49 countries without an embassy visit that the Egyptian passport cannot, among them Georgia, Armenia, Thailand, South Korea, Philippines and Singapore. The Egyptian passport can enter 4 countries without an embassy visit that the South African passport cannot, among them Burkina Faso, Guinea, Lebanon and Yemen. Both passports can enter 46 of the same countries without an embassy visit. The two home countries are left out of these counts.

We count the other 196 sovereign countries a passport can enter with visa-free entry, a visa on arrival or an eTA. An e-Visa counts as a visa. The data is the open Passport Index dataset, last updated 18 February 2026. Other indexes count differently, so their rankings can differ, and rules change often, so check the official source before you book.