Passport Power: A New Global Divide as US and UK Influence Wanes

LONDON, UK – January 19, 2026 – A new form of global inequality is solidifying in 2026, one not measured in wealth or resources, but in freedom of movement. The latest Henley Passport Index, marking its 20th anniversary, reveals a staggering and widening chasm between the world’s most and least mobile populations, creating a two-tiered system of global access.

While Singaporean passport holders can enter 192 countries without a prior visa, a citizen of Afghanistan can access just 24. This record 168-destination gap is the starkest illustration yet of a phenomenon experts are calling 'passport privilege.' The disparity has dramatically widened from just 118 destinations two decades ago, underscoring a rapid divergence in global opportunity.

“Over the past 20 years, global mobility has expanded significantly, but the benefits have been distributed unevenly,” says Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman at Henley & Partners, the firm that publishes the index based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). “Today, passport privilege plays a decisive role in shaping opportunity, security, and economic participation.”

This growing divide comes even as the world is more on the move than ever. IATA forecasts that airlines are set to carry a record 5.2 billion passengers this year, highlighting a paradox where travel demand soars while access becomes increasingly stratified.

The Fading Power of Western Passports

Nowhere is this shifting landscape more apparent than in the declining fortunes of once-unassailable Western passports. The United States and the United Kingdom, which jointly held the top spot as recently as 2014, have continued their slide down the rankings. The UK now sits in 7th place, while the US has fallen to 10th, narrowly returning to the top ten after a brief exit in late 2025.

This recovery, however, masks a more worrying trend. Over the past year alone, the US and UK recorded their steepest annual losses in visa-free access, shedding seven and eight destinations respectively. This erosion of mobility rights is not a mere technicality but a reflection of deeper geopolitical currents.

“Passport power ultimately reflects political stability, diplomatic credibility, and the ability to shape international rules,” notes Misha Glenny, the award-winning journalist and Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. “As transatlantic relations strain and domestic politics grow more volatile, the erosion of mobility rights for countries like the US and UK is less a technical anomaly than a signal of deeper geopolitical recalibration.”

In stark contrast, the United Arab Emirates has emerged as the index's biggest success story over the past two decades. Through sustained diplomatic efforts and visa liberalization, the UAE has added an astonishing 149 visa-free destinations since 2006, catapulting 57 places up the ranking to 5th overall.

America's Closing Doors and China's New Openness

The decline in US passport power coincides with a dramatic pivot in its own border policies. While a US passport grants visa-free access to 179 destinations, the country itself allows only 46 nationalities to enter without a visa. This places the US a lowly 78th on the Henley Openness Index, revealing one of the world's widest gaps between outbound mobility and inbound access.

This trend towards insularity is thrown into sharp relief by the actions of its chief geopolitical rival, China. In a strategic move to boost its soft power, China has aggressively opened its doors, adding over 40 countries to its visa-free list in the past two years. It now permits visa-free entry to 77 nationalities, a policy shift that experts see as a calculated play for global influence.

“There is a visible shift underway in the global balance of power, marked by China's renewed openness and the USA's retreat into nationalism,” observes Dr. Tim Klatte, a Partner at Grant Thornton China. “As countries increasingly compete for influence through mobility, openness is becoming a critical component of soft power.”

The End of Visa-Free Travel as We Know It?

This retreat into nationalism may soon have profound consequences for America's closest allies. A late-2025 proposal from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) threatens to fundamentally alter, if not dismantle, the popular Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The program currently allows citizens from 42 allied nations, including the UK, Japan, and Germany, to visit the US for up to 90 days without a visa.

Under the proposed changes, which could be implemented as early as February 2026, VWP travelers would be required to use a mobile-only app to submit an unprecedented amount of personal data. This includes not only a facial photograph but also social media handles from the past five years, extensive family information, and a decade's worth of email addresses. The proposal also signals the potential future collection of fingerprints, DNA, and iris biometrics.

Critics warn this move would effectively end visa-free travel in all but name. Greg Lindsay, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, cautions that such extensive data collection “enables real-time ideological screening and creates the risk that personal information could be shared, repurposed, or weaponized.” This follows the most extensive simultaneous expansion of US travel bans in modern history, with restrictions now applying to 39 countries as of the start of 2026.

The Rise of the 'Portfolio Citizen'

Faced with growing political turbulence and eroding mobility, a growing number of affluent individuals are taking matters into their own hands. The demand for second passports and alternative residencies through investment is surging, transforming from a niche luxury into a mainstream risk management tool.

In 2025, Henley & Partners saw applications for its residence and citizenship programs rise by 28% year-on-year, with clients hailing from over 100 different countries. In a telling sign of the times, the firm’s largest client market is now the United States.

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

For this growing class of 'portfolio citizens,' a second passport is the ultimate insurance policy—a hedge against the geopolitical volatility and closing borders that are coming to define the 21st century. It is a tangible response to a world where the passport you hold increasingly determines the life you can lead.