Passport Power Doubles as Global Peace Declines
LONDON, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 20th anniversary edition of the Henley Passport Index reveals that the average passport now provides visa-free access to 108 destinations worldwide — up from just 58 when the Index was first launched in 2006 — showing how dramatically global mobility has expanded over two decades.
The findings stand in stark contrast to the latest Global Peace Index, which also marks its 20th edition and paints its bleakest picture yet. According to the Institute for Economics & Peace, the world is experiencing the highest number of state-based conflicts since the Second World War, with global peacefulness declining for the 12th consecutive year. Today, 119 countries are less peaceful than they were in 2008, while 103 have been involved in an external conflict over the past five years — almost double when the Index began.
As millions of travelers prepare to cross borders for the peak Northern Hemisphere summer holiday season, the July 2026 Henley Passport Index — based on exclusive Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) — shows that international mobility continues to evolve despite an increasingly conflicted geopolitical landscape.
Singapore retains its position as the world's most powerful passport with visa-free access to 192 destinations, while the United Arab Emirates is the biggest mover since January, climbing three places to join Japan and South Korea in 2nd place with access to 188 destinations.
The UK has climbed to 6th after securing visa-free access to China and Malawi, while Canada has risen to 7th. The United States remains in 10th place and is now one of the few top-ranked passports that still needs a visa to visit China.
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the Henley Passport Index, says "twenty years of data show that passport power is one of the clearest expressions of a country's geopolitical capital. It reflects far more than peace or prosperity alone. The world's strongest passports belong to nations that other countries want as partners — for trade, investment, security, or cooperation."
The Winners, the Losers, and the Growing Gap
Over the past 20 years, global travel freedom has expanded dramatically. In 2006, the US, Denmark, and Finland topped the Index with visa-free access to 130 destinations. Today, Singapore leads with 192. Yet the global mobility gap has widened from 118 destinations to a record 170, with Afghanistan remaining last.
The UAE recorded the greatest improvement, adding 153 visa-free destinations, and Bolivia is the only passport in the world to have suffered a net loss over two decades, reducing their visa-free access by six destinations.
Mobility power has shifted beyond the traditional transatlantic leaders. While Europe continues to dominate the upper ranks, the US has fallen from 1st to 10th and the UK from 3rd to 6th since 2006, with 38 passports now sharing Top 10 positions, up from 26 in 2006.
When Peace Predicts Passport Power
New analysis by Henley & Partners comparing the Henley Passport Index (HPI) and the Global Peace Index (GPI) over the past two decades reveals a strong positive relationship between peacefulness and passport power (Spearman rank correlation ρ = 0.65, p < 0.001). The exceptions are even more revealing.
Countries whose passports significantly outperform what their peace rankings alone would predict include Israel (159th on GPI, 18th on HPI), the United States (134th on GPI, 10th on HPI), France (99th on GPI, 4th on HPI), Ukraine (160th on GPI, 31st on HPI), the UAE (73rd on GPI, 2nd on HPI), South Korea (57th on GPI, 2nd on HPI), Brazil (124th on GPI, 16th on HPI), and Russia (163rd on GPI, 47th on HPI).
America and Israel are the clearest outliers. Despite the US ranking in the bottom fifth of the Global Peace Index and Israel among the world's five least peaceful nations, both retain exceptionally powerful passports. As tensions with Iran and instability across the Middle East once again dominate headlines, they show passport power reflects far more than peacefulness.
For many Global South countries, peace alone has not translated into greater mobility. Weaker diplomatic leverage, fewer reciprocal visa-waiver agreements, and a global visa system that favours wealthier and more influential states continue to constrain passport power. As Professor Mehari Taddele Maru of the European University Institute argues in recent research published by Henley & Partners on EU visa reforms, aspects of contemporary visa policy can reinforce structural bias against African travellers, raising important questions about fairness and equity in global mobility.
The findings provide the backdrop to Henley & Partners' upcoming Safe Haven Forum, bringing together geopolitical experts, investors, policymakers and wealth advisers to discuss resilience through residence, citizenship and wealth diversification in an increasingly fragmented world.
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