Correlation Between Wealth and Passport Strength
This chart illustrates how a nation’s economic standing often aligns with the strength of its passport, revealing clear patterns in global mobility. Wealthier and globally connected countries, particularly across Europe, along with places like Singapore, Ireland and Luxembourg, tend to offer their citizens extensive visa-free access. Their strong diplomatic networks, diversified economies, and stable governance translate into high levels of international trust. The trend line across the chart reflects this general relationship: higher GDP per capita is typically associated with greater travel freedom.
Notable outliers
- Countries (or territories) with high GDP per capita but weak passports: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Guyana, Kuwait, Macau
- Countries with low or medium GDP per capita but strong passports: Malaysia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile
However, the data also highlights notable outliers where wealth alone does not guarantee passport strength. Many high-income, resource-driven economies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and several Gulf states provide far fewer visa-free destinations despite substantial GDP per capita levels. Their limited economic diversification and narrower diplomatic reach constrain global mobility for their citizens. Similarly, Macau appears lower on the mobility scale compared to neighbouring Hong Kong, underscoring how dependence on a single industry can affect international perception and access.
At the same time, several middle-income countries outperform expectations. Malaysia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina, for example, secure strong passport rankings despite more modest economic profiles, benefitting from broad diplomatic ties and balanced foreign policies. Meanwhile, many African nations remain clustered at the lower end of both income and passport strength, reflecting ongoing challenges with instability and limited global engagement. Together, these contrasts demonstrate that while prosperity helps, trust, diplomacy and economic diversity ultimately shape the true power of a passport.
