Henley Index highlights growing passport divide in 2026

The 2026 Henley Passport Index highlights a growing gap between the world’s most and least globally mobile populations.

Using Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the index ranks passports according to the number of countries their holders can enter without needing a visa.

While a record number of passports now occupy the top tier of the rankings, those at the bottom remain increasingly cut off, emphasizing the widening global mobility divide.

Singapore continues to hold the strongest passport, allowing visa-free access to 192 destinations. At the other extreme, Afghanistan again ranks last, with access to only 24 countries.

The 168-destination difference between the top and bottom illustrates the extent of global mobility inequality in 2026 — a significant increase from 2006, when the gap between the highest-ranking U.S passport and Afghanistan was just 118 destinations.

"Over the past 20 years, global mobility has expanded significantly, but the benefits have been distributed unevenly," said Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chairman at Henley & Partners in a press release. "Today, passport privilege plays a decisive role in shaping opportunity, security, and economic participation."

This imbalance is intensifying even as international travel demand continues to grow, the company says, while IATA forecasts that airlines will carry more than 5.2 billion passengers globally this year.

"A record number of people are expected to travel in 2026," said IATA Director General Willie Walsh in a statement. "But as many governments look to tighten their borders, technological advances such as digital ID and digital passports should not be overlooked by policymakers. Convenient travel and secure borders are possible."

U.K records the steepest losses, U.S Back in the Top 10

Japan and South Korea rank joint second in 2026, each offering visa-free access to 188 destinations. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland follow in 3rd place with access to 186 destinations, ahead of an unprecedented group of 10 European countries tied for 4th.

Europe continues to dominate the upper tiers, with notable exceptions including UAE (5th), New Zealand (6th), Australia (7th), Canada (8th), and Malaysia (9th).

The U.S. has returned to the Top 10 after briefly dropping out in late 2025, but this recovery masks a longer-term decline for both the U.S. and the UK, which jointly held 1st place in 2014.

Over the past year, both countries recorded their steepest annual losses in visa-free access, shedding seven and eight destinations respectively.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. has fallen six places to 10th, while the U.K. has dropped four places to 7th.

Canada currently holds an eighth-place ranking, enabling visa-free access to 181 destinations.

Biggest risers & fallers over the decades

The UAE stands out as the strongest performer on the Henley Passport Index over the past 20 years, adding 149 visa-free destinations since 2006 and climbing 57 places to 5th on the rankings with access to 184 destinations visa-free, driven by sustained diplomatic engagement and visa liberalization.

Countries across the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe have also made significant gains, led by Albania (+36 to 43rd), Ukraine (+34 to 30th), Serbia (+30 to 34th), and North Macedonia (+27 to 38th).

Bolivia is the only country on the index to have seen an overall decline in visa-free access over the past 20 years, falling 32 places to rank 61st in 2026.

If we consider just the past decade, Kosovo has recorded the biggest rise, climbing 38 places, while China has risen 28 places, positioning both countries as joint 59th on the index, with access to 81 destinations visa-free.

Open borders, closed doors

While U.S. passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 179 destinations, America allows only 46 nationalities to enter without a prior visa, ranking 78th globally on the Henley Openness Index — one of the widest gaps worldwide between outbound mobility and inbound access.

China, by contrast, now permits visa-free entry to 77 nationalities and ranks 62nd, following the addition of more than 40 countries over the past two years.

Analysis commissioned for the Henley Global Mobility Report 2026 warns that a late-2025 proposal by US Customs and Border Protection could effectively end visa-free travel under the Visa Waiver Program.

Citizens of 42 allied nations may be required to submit extensive personal, biometric, and digital data, with implementation possible as early as February.

These proposals follow the most extensive simultaneous expansion of US travel bans in modern history. From 1 January 2026, full or partial entry restrictions now apply to 39 countries.

Demand for additional residence and citizenship rights also continues to rise.

In 2025, Henley & Partners received applications from 100 nationalities, with overall volumes up 28 per cent year-on-year. 

The U.S is now the firm's largest client market, the company says. 

"Americans are continuing their scramble for alternative residence and citizenship amid ongoing political turbulence," said Prof. Peter J. Spiro, Professor at Temple University Law School, in a statement. "What was once seen as an extreme contingency has become a mainstream form of risk management."

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