The latest edition of the Henley Passport Index, known as the 'Passport Olympics,' shows that the rankings of traditional powers such as the United States and the United Kingdom have sharply declined. In contrast, emerging powers like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China are expanding their influence through aggressive diplomacy, causing subtle ripples in the international community.
According to this year's passport index report released on the 22nd (local time) by the international law firm Henley Partners and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the U.S. passport dropped to 10th place out of a total of 199 countries. This marks the worst record in the 20-year history of the index. Compared to its position as number one in 2014, this is a dismal score. The United Kingdom also fell from first place in 2015 to sixth place this year.
This index is calculated based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) by measuring the number of countries visa-free travelers can visit with passports from 199 countries. It serves as a key indicator that goes beyond simple travel freedom, assessing the status and diplomatic power that the respective countries hold in the international community.
This year's survey indicates that, globally, the number of mutual visa-free agreements has significantly expanded, except for a few countries like North Korea, Afghanistan, and Somalia. The average number of destinations travelers can visit visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 countries to 109 countries over the past 20 years since 2006.
However, the United States and the United Kingdom have adopted more conservative immigration policies compared to before, which has led to self-imposed isolation. Henley Partners commented, 'In contrast to other countries actively increasing visa-free agreements through diplomacy, both the United States and the United Kingdom have pursued relatively more restrictive immigration policies and demonstrated a passive attitude towards expanding diplomatic relations.'
While the United States and the United Kingdom are lagging, the UAE and China have rapidly absorbed influence through aggressive diplomatic policies. The UAE has climbed from 42nd to 8th place over the past decade, a rise of 34 ranks. This is a result of active visa exemption negotiations backed by substantial capital.
China also jumped 34 ranks from 94th a decade ago to 60th. The country raised its ranking through a separate open policy that opened its doors to all six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and major countries in South America, instead of focusing on European and North American countries.
Experts noted that this phenomenon compressively illustrates the rapidly diversifying world over the past few years.
Jurg Steffen, CEO of Henley Partners, said, 'Financially comfortable individuals in the United States and the United Kingdom are leaving for 'citizenship shopping' in places like Singapore in search of better citizenship.'
In this year's survey, Asian countries like Singapore continued to show overwhelming strength in passport power. Singapore retained its first place with 193 countries, while Korea and Japan shared second place with 190 countries.
However, how citizens utilize their strong passport power varied by country. In Korea, the passport possession rate reached 60%, demonstrating an active utilization of high passport power. In contrast, Japan had only 17.5% of those eligible for a passport having been issued one, creating a stark contrast.
Christian Kaelin, who devised this index, said, 'Countries that proactively enter into visa-waiver agreements and encourage reciprocal treaties will continue to see their passport power rise, while those that put less effort into such endeavors will inevitably drop in ranking.'