WHY THIS INDEX?

Access that means more.

A passport’s value depends on the destinations it opens, and the barriers it removes.

Every destination counts.
They don’t all carry the same weight.

A country count treats every destination equally. This index weights destinations by international visitor activity and grades the ease of entry.

Restrictions in heavily visited destinations have a greater effect on the score. Passport profiles and comparisons show which barriers matter most and where access is lost.

A SIMPLE EXAMPLE7.00lost points

A destination carrying 10% of the model’s weight requires a physical visa.

10% × (1 − 0.30) × 100 = 7 points
Illustrative example, not a country’s actual data.

How this approach differs

QuestionDestination-count approachPassport Access Index
What does a destination contribute?One destination adds one unit to a qualifying access count.Its share of the tourism-weighted model determines its contribution.
How are entry requirements handled?A qualifying-access threshold; included categories vary by index.Seven categories with explicitly chosen entry-ease scores.
How can the result be explained?The number of destinations meeting that index’s rules.Destination-by-destination gains, losses and comparison contributions.

This is more helpful when you want to understand tourism-weighted access and the restrictions behind a score. It is not a prediction of your travel plans: a rarely visited destination may be the place that matters most to you. Other indices also use different destination universes and entry definitions, so their ranks are not directly interchangeable.

THE METHODOLOGY

From destination data to a score out of 100

01

Set the destination weights

The 2026 model covers 199 destinations using tourism data through year-end 2025. For each destination, use its latest eligible annual visitor observation at or before 2025. Historical values receive a compounded 5% penalty per elapsed year.

Effective weight = source count × 0.952025 − source year

A 2024 count retains 95%; a 2023 count retains 90.25%. This is a chosen penalty for the age of the data, not an observed change in tourism.

02

Assign entry ease

The weights below are modeling choices. They distinguish entry categories without claiming to measure the exact time or cost for every traveler.

Visa-free1.00
ETA0.95
Visa on arrival0.90
E-visa0.60
Physical visa0.30
Special permission0.10
Forbidden0.00

The home destination counts as visa-free for scoring and is excluded from the displayed visa-free destination count. Unknown or uncovered destinations are never labeled as forbidden.

03

Calculate weighted access and lost points

Access score = 100 × Σ (destination weight × entry ease) ÷ Σ destination weights

The ideal score is 100: every included destination is visa-free. A destination’s lost points equal its normalized weight × (1 − entry ease) × 100. All losses add up to 100 minus the passport score.

Rankings use the full calculation precision. Exact ties share competition ranks: 1, 1, 3. Two scores that round to the same displayed value can still have different ranks.

TRANSPARENT INPUTS, VISIBLE LIMITS

Data sources & references

86

2025 source values

Including the approved Vatican Museums attendance proxy.

110

Historical observations

Discounted by source age; original years and definitions remain visible.

3

Population-based estimates

Used only where an eligible reported visitor count is missing.

Tourism data

Original publications include Atout France and Spain’s National Statistics Institute. Browse the complete destination table for approximate visitor counts, source years and weight basis for all 199 destinations.

The 2026 model uses tourism data through year-end 2025, selecting the newest eligible observations from the project’s archived sources, including direct national statistics, UN Tourism and other documented series. Older observations retain their source years and receive the age penalty described above. This selection differs from the research project’s separate UN-first reported-data view.

Definitions include overnight visitors, same-day-inclusive totals, border entries and accommodation arrivals. They are preserved rather than treated as identical. The normalized weights are shares of this model’s sample, not shares of all worldwide tourists or unique travelers.

Explicit exceptions

Vatican City uses approximately 6.9 million Vatican Museums visits in 2025 as an approved proxy. Somalia uses the official 2024 figure of 125,000+ tourists and diaspora arrivals as a conservative floor; after the age penalty its effective weight is 118,750.

Equatorial Guinea, Liberia and North Korea lack eligible reported counts in the collection. Their effective-2025 estimates use 2025 population × 0.01: one visitor per 100 residents. These remain marked as estimates, with no additional age penalty.

Population inputs come from the World Bank population dataset (SP.POP.TOTL).

Visa data

Entry categories use the MIT-licensed visualpharm visa-free dataset, pinned to its 2026-06-14 snapshot and retrieved on 2026-10-02. It is a community compilation and has not been independently checked against every destination government’s current rules. Visa-required entries are provisionally interpreted as physical visas.

Nationality alone cannot represent exceptions involving residence permits, existing visas, organized tours, arrival ports or personal eligibility. The map shows a baseline category in the snapshot; it does not guarantee admission.

Dataset credit: Ilya Ilyankou / visualpharm. Read the MIT license.

Permanent residence travel rules

The “Your own index” calculator uses a partial set of documented PR benefits and resident-return rules. Each rule keeps its source and conditions; references were checked on 2026-10-02.

Geographic coverage

Coverage is based on countries and territories with their own distinct passports. Having a separate passport does not mean a territory is an independent country.

The 199-destination universe includes Hongkong (P.R. China), Macau (P.R. China), Taiwan (Republic of China), Kosovo and Vatican City, and excludes many other territories. Map boundaries come from world-atlas / Natural Earth. Small-destination locations come from world-countries by Mohammed Le Doze. Geographic display does not change the scoring universe.

Map credits and licenses: world-atlas / Michael Bostock and world-countries (ODbL).

View the 199 destination data sources

Effective 2025 total: 1,580,000,000. Visitor counts are rounded to three significant digits, with remaining digits shown as zeros. Percentages use the full-precision counts. Each share is the destination’s effective count divided by this 199-destination total. Sources use different visitor definitions; these are model shares, not shares of all worldwide tourists or unique travelers. A dash means no reported visitor count; population-based estimates appear only in the effective column. Click a marked column heading to sort. Scroll sideways to see every column on smaller screens.

Source yearSource visitor countWeight basis
Afghanistan20237,0006,3200.0004%Age-discounted observation
Albania20253,040,0003,040,0000.1921%2025 observation
Algeria20243,550,0003,370,0000.2130%Age-discounted observation
Andorra20244,170,0003,960,0000.2502%Age-discounted observation
Angola2024174,000165,0000.0104%Age-discounted observation
Antigua and Barbuda2025325,000325,0000.0206%2025 observation
Argentina20255,320,0005,320,0000.3359%2025 observation
Armenia20242,210,0002,100,0000.1326%Age-discounted observation
Australia20258,940,0008,940,0000.5648%2025 observation
Austria202529,800,00029,800,0001.8810%2025 observation
Azerbaijan20251,770,0001,770,0000.1117%2025 observation
Bahamas20251,820,0001,820,0000.1151%2025 observation
Bahrain20246,620,0006,290,0000.3974%Age-discounted observation
Bangladesh2021135,000110,0000.0069%Age-discounted observation
Barbados2025727,000727,0000.0460%2025 observation
Belarus2025579,000579,0000.0366%2025 observation
Belgium202510,100,00010,100,0000.6400%2025 observation
Belize2025552,000552,0000.0349%2025 observation
Benin2020325,000251,0000.0159%Age-discounted observation
Bhutan2025209,000209,0000.0132%2025 observation
Bolivia2024991,000941,0000.0595%Age-discounted observation
Bosnia and Herzegovina20241,380,0001,310,0000.0827%Age-discounted observation
Botswana20241,490,0001,410,0000.0894%Age-discounted observation
Brazil20259,300,0009,300,0000.5877%2025 observation
Brunei2024268,000255,0000.0161%Age-discounted observation
Bulgaria20254,140,0004,140,0000.2617%2025 observation
Burkina Faso2024132,000125,0000.0079%Age-discounted observation
Burundi2017299,000198,0000.0125%Age-discounted observation
Cambodia20246,700,0006,370,0000.4022%Age-discounted observation
Cameroon20191,020,000751,0000.0474%Age-discounted observation
Canada202519,800,00019,800,0001.2513%2025 observation
Cape Verde20241,120,0001,060,0000.0671%Age-discounted observation
Central African Republic202257,00048,9000.0031%Age-discounted observation
Chad202140,00032,6000.0021%Age-discounted observation
Chile20245,240,0004,980,0000.3145%Age-discounted observation
China2025155,000,000155,000,0009.7638%2025 observation
Colombia20246,830,0006,490,0000.4102%Age-discounted observation
Comoros202129,00023,6000.0015%Age-discounted observation
Congo2018158,000110,0000.0070%Age-discounted observation
Costa Rica20242,920,0002,770,0000.1752%Age-discounted observation
Croatia202517,600,00017,600,0001.1130%2025 observation
Cuba20242,200,0002,090,0000.1323%Age-discounted observation
Cyprus20253,350,0003,350,0000.2116%2025 observation
Czech Republic202510,900,00010,900,0000.6889%2025 observation
Denmark20253,890,0003,890,0000.2459%2025 observation
Djibouti2022145,000124,0000.0079%Age-discounted observation
Dominica202598,20098,2000.0062%2025 observation
Dominican Republic20248,540,0008,110,0000.5125%Age-discounted observation
DR Congo2021382,000311,0000.0197%Age-discounted observation
Ecuador20241,260,0001,200,0000.0758%Age-discounted observation
Egypt202519,000,00019,000,0001.2007%2025 observation
El Salvador20243,190,0003,030,0000.1913%Age-discounted observation
Equatorial GuineaPopulation 2025—19,4000.0012%Estimated
Eritrea2016142,00089,5000.0057%Age-discounted observation
Estonia20251,950,0001,950,0000.1232%2025 observation
Ethiopia20241,140,0001,080,0000.0684%Age-discounted observation
Fiji2025956,000956,0000.0604%2025 observation
Finland20253,380,0003,380,0000.2138%2025 observation
France2025102,000,000102,000,0006.4460%2025 observation
Gabon2005526,000189,0000.0119%Age-discounted observation
Gambia2024227,000215,0000.0136%Age-discounted observation
Georgia20255,520,0005,520,0000.3490%2025 observation
Germany202537,100,00037,100,0002.3467%2025 observation
Ghana20241,290,0001,220,0000.0774%Age-discounted observation
Greece202528,200,00028,200,0001.7806%2025 observation
Grenada2025186,000186,0000.0118%2025 observation
Guatemala20242,340,0002,220,0000.1404%Age-discounted observation
Guinea201799,00065,7000.0042%Age-discounted observation
Guinea-Bissau201952,00038,2000.0024%Age-discounted observation
Guyana2025453,000453,0000.0287%2025 observation
Haiti2021148,000121,0000.0076%Age-discounted observation
Honduras2024841,000799,0000.0505%Age-discounted observation
Hongkong (P.R. China)202523,200,00023,200,0001.4655%2025 observation
Hungary20256,600,0006,600,0000.4170%2025 observation
Iceland20242,290,0002,170,0000.1373%Age-discounted observation
India202520,200,00020,200,0001.2766%2025 observation
Indonesia202515,400,00015,400,0000.9724%2025 observation
Iran20247,050,0006,690,0000.4230%Age-discounted observation
Iraq2013892,000482,0000.0305%Age-discounted observation
Ireland20254,170,0004,170,0000.2632%2025 observation
Israel2024961,000913,0000.0577%Age-discounted observation
Italy202587,900,00087,900,0005.5547%2025 observation
Ivory Coast20246,200,0005,890,0000.3722%Age-discounted observation
Jamaica20252,600,0002,600,0000.1644%2025 observation
Japan202542,700,00042,700,0002.6974%2025 observation
Jordan20245,220,0004,960,0000.3132%Age-discounted observation
Kazakhstan202410,400,0009,860,0000.6233%Age-discounted observation
Kenya20252,550,0002,550,0000.1612%2025 observation
Kiribati20249,5009,0300.0006%Age-discounted observation
Kosovo20257,470,0007,470,0000.4718%2025 observation
Kuwait2024137,000130,0000.0082%Age-discounted observation
Kyrgyzstan20248,860,0008,410,0000.5317%Age-discounted observation
Laos20243,940,0003,750,0000.2367%Age-discounted observation
Latvia20251,670,0001,670,0000.1057%2025 observation
Lebanon20241,130,0001,070,0000.0679%Age-discounted observation
Lesotho2024934,000887,0000.0561%Age-discounted observation
LiberiaPopulation 2025—57,3000.0036%Estimated
Libya2008760,000318,0000.0201%Age-discounted observation
Liechtenstein2025118,000118,0000.0075%2025 observation
Lithuania20251,620,0001,620,0000.1024%2025 observation
Luxembourg20251,410,0001,410,0000.0893%2025 observation
Macau (P.R. China)202516,500,00016,500,0001.0455%2025 observation
Madagascar2024315,000299,0000.0189%Age-discounted observation
Malawi2022737,000632,0000.0399%Age-discounted observation
Malaysia202526,600,00026,600,0001.6819%2025 observation
Maldives20242,050,0001,940,0000.1229%Age-discounted observation
Mali2021168,000137,0000.0086%Age-discounted observation
Malta20252,560,0002,560,0000.1615%2025 observation
Marshall Islands20236,0005,4200.0003%Age-discounted observation
Mauritania200030,0008,3200.0005%Age-discounted observation
Mauritius20241,380,0001,310,0000.0830%Age-discounted observation
Mexico202598,200,00098,200,0006.2058%2025 observation
Micronesia20232,0001,8100.0001%Age-discounted observation
Moldova2024254,000241,0000.0152%Age-discounted observation
Monaco2024348,000331,0000.0209%Age-discounted observation
Mongolia2024727,000691,0000.0436%Age-discounted observation
Montenegro20251,340,0001,340,0000.0846%2025 observation
Morocco202519,800,00019,800,0001.2513%2025 observation
Mozambique2025852,000852,0000.0539%2025 observation
Myanmar20241,060,0001,010,0000.0638%Age-discounted observation
Namibia20241,260,0001,190,0000.0755%Age-discounted observation
Nauru20162,9901,8900.0001%Age-discounted observation
Nepal20241,150,0001,090,0000.0689%Age-discounted observation
Netherlands202522,300,00022,300,0001.4101%2025 observation
New Zealand20253,510,0003,510,0000.2218%2025 observation
Nicaragua2024954,000906,0000.0573%Age-discounted observation
Niger202418,50017,6000.0011%Age-discounted observation
Nigeria2024539,000512,0000.0324%Age-discounted observation
North KoreaPopulation 2025—266,0000.0168%Estimated
North Macedonia2024830,000789,0000.0498%Age-discounted observation
Norway20257,500,0007,500,0000.4741%2025 observation
Oman20242,660,0002,530,0000.1596%Age-discounted observation
Pakistan20232,220,0002,000,0000.1263%Age-discounted observation
Palau202565,60065,6000.0041%2025 observation
Palestine2024115,000109,0000.0069%Age-discounted observation
Panama20242,100,0002,000,0000.1261%Age-discounted observation
Papua New Guinea2025104,000104,0000.0066%2025 observation
Paraguay20241,060,0001,010,0000.0637%Age-discounted observation
Peru20243,260,0003,090,0000.1955%Age-discounted observation
Philippines20245,950,0005,650,0000.3572%Age-discounted observation
Poland20258,860,0008,860,0000.5598%2025 observation
Portugal202519,600,00019,600,0001.2370%2025 observation
Qatar20244,910,0004,660,0000.2946%Age-discounted observation
Romania20252,590,0002,590,0000.1638%2025 observation
Russia20257,860,0007,860,0000.4967%2025 observation
Rwanda20251,490,0001,490,0000.0942%2025 observation
Saint Kitts and Nevis2025134,000134,0000.0085%2025 observation
Saint Lucia2025427,000427,0000.0270%2025 observation
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines2025121,000121,0000.0076%2025 observation
Samoa2025183,000183,0000.0116%2025 observation
San Marino2024122,000116,0000.0073%Age-discounted observation
Sao Tome and Principe202115,00012,2000.0008%Age-discounted observation
Saudi Arabia202529,300,00029,300,0001.8516%2025 observation
Senegal20171,380,000913,0000.0577%Age-discounted observation
Serbia20252,350,0002,350,0000.1484%2025 observation
Seychelles2024353,000335,0000.0212%Age-discounted observation
Sierra Leone202458,00055,1000.0035%Age-discounted observation
Singapore202516,900,00016,900,0001.0680%2025 observation
Slovakia20252,340,0002,340,0000.1478%2025 observation
Slovenia20255,460,0005,460,0000.3452%2025 observation
Solomon Islands202425,10023,9000.0015%Age-discounted observation
Somalia2024≥ 125,000119,0000.0075%Reported lower bound
South Africa20248,920,0008,470,0000.5355%Age-discounted observation
South Korea202518,900,00018,900,0001.1944%2025 observation
South Sudan2024498,000473,0000.0299%Age-discounted observation
Spain202596,800,00096,800,0006.1176%2025 observation
Sri Lanka20252,360,0002,360,0000.1493%2025 observation
Sudan2018836,000584,0000.0369%Age-discounted observation
Suriname2024262,000248,0000.0157%Age-discounted observation
Swaziland2024745,000708,0000.0447%Age-discounted observation
Sweden20258,180,0008,180,0000.5169%2025 observation
Switzerland202512,800,00012,800,0000.8099%2025 observation
Syria20192,420,0001,780,0000.1126%Age-discounted observation
Taiwan (Republic of China)20258,600,0008,600,0000.5435%2025 observation
Tajikistan20241,400,0001,330,0000.0841%Age-discounted observation
Tanzania20242,140,0002,030,0000.1286%Age-discounted observation
Thailand202533,000,00033,000,0002.0855%2025 observation
Timor-Leste202497,00092,2000.0058%Age-discounted observation
Togo2020482,000373,0000.0236%Age-discounted observation
Tonga202564,20064,2000.0041%2025 observation
Trinidad and Tobago2025373,000373,0000.0236%2025 observation
Tunisia202410,300,0009,750,0000.6162%Age-discounted observation
Turkey202548,800,00048,800,0003.0851%2025 observation
Turkmenistan1998380,00095,1000.0060%Age-discounted observation
Tuvalu20233,1402,8300.0002%Age-discounted observation
Uganda20241,370,0001,300,0000.0824%Age-discounted observation
Ukraine20242,480,0002,360,0000.1490%Age-discounted observation
United Arab Emirates202328,100,00025,400,0001.6053%Age-discounted observation
United Kingdom202441,800,00039,700,0002.5071%Age-discounted observation
United States202568,300,00068,300,0004.3163%2025 observation
Uruguay20253,600,0003,600,0000.2278%2025 observation
Uzbekistan202410,100,0009,560,0000.6040%Age-discounted observation
Vanuatu202595,90095,9000.0061%2025 observation
Vatican20256,900,0006,900,0000.4361%Museum proxy
Venezuela2022677,000580,0000.0367%Age-discounted observation
Vietnam202521,200,00021,200,0001.3398%2025 observation
Yemen2024196,000186,0000.0117%Age-discounted observation
Zambia20242,200,0002,090,0000.1321%Age-discounted observation
Zimbabwe20241,610,0001,530,0000.0969%Age-discounted observation
Modeled total——1,580,000,000100.0000%199 destinations