Passport Power Doubles as Global Peace Declines

The 20th anniversary Henley Passport Index paints a fascinating picture of global mobility versus global peace:

Passport Power Expands
- Average passport now grants visa-free access to 108 destinations, up from 58 in 2006.
- Singapore remains #1 with access to 192 destinations.
- UAE is the biggest climber, now tied for 2nd with Japan and South Korea (188 destinations).
- UK rises to 6th after securing visa-free access to China and Malawi.
- US stays at 10th, still requiring a visa for China.

Peace Declines
- The Global Peace Index (also marking 20 years) shows the highest number of conflicts since WWII.
- Global peacefulness has declined for 12 consecutive years.
- 119 countries are less peaceful than in 2008.
- 103 countries have been involved in external conflict in the past five years.

Winners & Losers
- UAE: greatest improvement (+153 destinations).
- Bolivia: only passport to lose ground (-6 destinations).
- Afghanistan: remains last, with the weakest passport.
- Mobility gap: widened to a record 170 destinations between the strongest and weakest passports.

Peace vs. Passport Power
- Strong correlation between peacefulness and passport strength (\(\rho = 0.65\)).
- Outliers:
- Israel (159th on peace, 18th on passport)
- US (134th on peace, 10th on passport)
- France, Ukraine, UAE, South Korea, Brazil, Russia also outperform their peace rankings.
- Shows that passport power reflects geopolitical capital — trade, investment, and security partnerships — not just peace or prosperity.

Big Picture
- Europe still dominates the top ranks, but traditional leaders like the US and UK have slipped since 2006.
- Global South nations remain constrained by weaker diplomatic leverage and structural bias in visa systems.
- The findings set the stage for Henley’s upcoming Safe Haven Forum, focusing on resilience through citizenship, residence, and wealth diversification.

This juxtaposition — mobility expanding while peace declines — is striking. It suggests that while borders are opening for travel, geopolitical fractures are deepening.