Passport Strength & Rankings
The Unwelcome Traveler
A movement dedicated to increase awareness of the travel barriers put in place for certain nationals and to create a push towards reform.
Passport strength refers to the power and influence of a country's passport, which can affect the travel opportunities and privileges available to its citizens. The strength of a passport is often measured by the number of countries a passport holder can enter without a visa or with the ability to obtain a visa on arrival. A stronger passport allows its holders to travel more freely and with fewer restrictions.
The Henley Passport Index
The Henley Passport Index is a ranking of the strength of passports from different countries based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
This data is used to determine the number of destinations that passport holders from different countries can access without a prior visa or with the ability to obtain a visa on arrival.
The Henley Passport Index is updated regularly to reflect changes in visa policies and other factors that can affect a passport's strength. The index ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
The Henley Passport Index is often used as a reference for comparing the strength of different passports and can be a useful tool for travellers looking to maximize their travel opportunities.
Determinants of Passport Strength
Income
Countries that have higher gross domestic product (GDP) per capita according to World Bank data also enjoy more visa-free destinations. This pattern can be explained by two interrelated factors.
Firstly, countries are more willing to open up their borders to citizens from wealthier countries because doing so is likely to pay greater
economic dividends n the form of trade, tourism, and investment.
Secondly, individuals from wealthier nations are less likely to place a burden on the host country’s social and economic system, for example, through the cost of unauthorized migration.
Domestic Fragility
Increased fragility has a similarly significant effect on ease of travel as income, though in the opposite direction. What is domestic fragility? One of the primary indicators is the level of violence in a country, measured by bombings, terrorist attacks, ethnic conflict, and organized crime. Other indicators include factors such as elite factionalization, state legitimacy, and the size of an internally displaced population.
The Fragile States Index can be used to measure domestic fragility and see where countries rank relative to each other.