Six weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the impact on travel freedom and 
mobility has been more dramatic than even the most pessimistic commentators 
predicted at the war’s outset. The latest results from the Henley Passport 
Index[https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index] — the original ranking of 
all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders 
can access without a prior visa — clearly illustrate the war’s profound and 
perhaps irreversible impact on freedom of movement within the region as a new 
Iron Curtain descends. 

The invasion has triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War 
II, with more than 4 million [ https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine] 
Ukrainians having fled to neighbouring countries. The EU, US, Canada, and other 
Western countries have closed their airspaces to Russia, imposed stiff travel 
bans on individual Russian citizens, and in many cases have stopped processing 
visa applications altogether, effectively condemning the Russian passport to 
junk status throughout much of the developed world. 

In stark contrast, the EU has approved an emergency plan allowing Ukrainians to 
live and work in any of its 27 member states for up to three years while other 
Western countries have adjusted their visa policies in favor of Ukrainian 
passport holders or waived visa requirements altogether. According to the 
latest Henley Passport Index [ https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index], 
which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport 
Association [ https://www.iata.org/] (IATA), Ukraine currently has a 
visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 143, a record high for the country, which 
now ranks 34th on the index (having climbed 26 places since 2012), while Russia 
trails behind in 49th place, with a score of 117 — a gap that is likely to 
widen in the coming months. 

Elsewhere on the ranking, Japan and Singapore continue to share number one 
spot, with their passport holders able to access 192 destinations around the 
world visa-free, not taking temporary Covid restrictions into account. Germany 
and South Korea hold joint-2nd place, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 
190, while Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain share 3rd place, with their 
passport holders able to access 189 destinations around the world without 
having to acquire a visa in advance. The UK, which recently dropped all 
remaining Covid-related restrictions, now sits in 5th place, with a score of 
187, with the US just one place behind in 6th spot, with a score of 186. 
Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the index with its nationals only able to 
access 26 destinations visa-free. 

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin [ https://chriskalin.com/ ], Chairman of Henley & 
Partners[https://www.henleyglobal.com/], says the latest update provides a 
unique snapshot of a volatile and rapidly changing world. "As the value of the 
Russian passport rapidly declines and the world opens its doors to Ukrainians, 
it is abundantly clear that the passport you hold determines your fate and 
dramatically impacts the opportunities you have. While it is impossible to 
predict what the world will look like in the shadow of a new Cold War, the 
latest index suggests that the divide between Russia and much of the Western 
world will only increase.

Commenting in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2022 Q2 
https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2 ], 
released today along with the latest Henley Passport Index 
[ https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index], Dr. Parag Khanna 
https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2/migration-adaptation-great-climate-challenge 
], bestselling author and Founder of FutureMap says creative solutions will be 
needed as mass migration becomes the norm. "When faced with war or climate 
disruptions our fight or flight instinct kicks in and the sensible response has 
been to move in search of more suitable conditions. We are becoming a migratory 
species again. In the coming decades climate disruptions threaten to make some 
regions of our planet uninhabitable,and millions, if not billions, of people 
will need to find new homes."


According to exclusive research by Henley & 
Partners[https://www.henleyglobal.com/] and Deep Knowledge 
Analytics[https://www.dka.global/] into the correlation between passport power, 
and climate change vulnerability and preparedness, wealthy and developed 
nations with the greatest visa-free access also score highly when it comes to 
their readiness to adapt to the climate crisis. Charles Phillips 
https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2/passport-climate-adaption] 
of the Oxford Business Group says, "We can see close correlations between 
climate adaptation performance and international travel freedom. It brings into 
stark reality the fact that your citizenship and passport really do matter when 
it comes to mitigating climate risk".

Sebastian Mikosz 
https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2/travel-mobility-trends/fly-net-zero-2015-how-fly-sustainably-carbon-free-world], 
Vice President of Environment and Sustainability at IATA [ 
https://www.iata.org/ ], says forecasts indicate demand for 10 billion 
passenger journeys by 2050 (up from around 4 billion pre-pandemic). "Much of 
this growth will come from passengers who have never had the opportunity to fly 
before: in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We owe it to this next generation 
of flyers to find sustainable solutions, so they can enjoy and benefit from air 
travel as we have done so far."

Read the Full Press Release: [ 
https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/global-mobility-report/2022-q2]

Source: Henley & Partners