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 fifth on the rankings with access to 184 destinations visa-free, driven by sustained diplomatic engagement and visa liberalisation.
Countries across the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe have also made significant gains over the past two decades, led by Albania, which climbed 36 places to rank 43rd on the index.
Ukraine has risen 34 places (to 30th), followed by Serbia (+30 to 34th), North Macedonia (+27 to 38th), and both Bosnia and Herzegovina (+29) and Georgia (+26), which now share 42nd place.
Together, these advances highlight the impact of regional integration and closer alignment with key partners.
Bolivia is the only country on the index to have seen an overall decline in visa-free access over the past 20 years, losing 5 visa-free destinations and falling 32 places to rank at 61st in 2026.
If we just consider the last decade, Kosovo has seen the biggest rise in the ranking, up 38 places (from 97th to 59th since 2016) with access to an additional 43 destinations.
Another notable climber is China, which has risen 28 places (from 87th to 59th) over the past 10 years, adding an additional 31 destinations to its total score of 141 countries that its citizens can now visit without a prior visa.
While U.S. passport holders can travel visa-free to 179 destinations, the United States itself allows only 46 nationalities to enter without a prior visa, placing it 78th out of 199 countries and territories worldwide on the Henley Openness Index.
This disparity between outbound mobility and inbound openness is among the widest globally, second only to Australia and marginally ahead of Canada, New Zealand, and Japan.
By contrast, China has risen rapidly, granting visa-free access to over 40 additional countries over the past two years alone. Now ranked 62nd, China permits entry to 77 different nationalities, 31 more than the U.S., signalling a strategic pivot towards openness as a tool of diplomacy and economic engagement.
“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,” said Dr Tim Klatte, Partner at Grant Thornton China. “As countries increasingly compete for influence through mobility, openness is becoming a critical component of soft power.”
Exclusive analysis commissioned for the Henley Global Mobility Report 2026, released today alongside the latest Henley Passport Index, warns that a late-2025 proposal by U.S. Customs and Border Protection could effectively end visa-free travel to the US in all but name.
The plan would require citizens of 42 allied nations, including the UK, France, Germany, and Japan, to submit extensive personal data under the Visa Waiver Program, with implementation possible as early as February following a public consultation.
If adopted, travellers would be required to disclose five years of social media activity, ten years of e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and IP addresses, as well as detailed family information and biometric data, including facial recognition, fingerprints, and DNA, retained for up to 75 years, far exceeding current Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) requirements.
“For Europeans long accustomed to near-frictionless travel, the implications go far beyond inconvenience,” Greg Lindsay, non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and senior fellow at Arizona State University’s Threatcasting Lab, explained. “This level of data collection enables real-time ideological screening and creates the risk that personal information could be shared, repurposed, or weaponised.”
These proposals follow a series of recent U.S. measures, including visa bans on former European Commission Vice-President Thierry Breton and several European activists, as well as the most extensive simultaneous expansion of U.S. travel bans in modern history.
From January 1, 2026, full or partial entry restrictions now apply to 39 countries.
