Originally Published on: Henley and Partners
The global mobility divide is widening significantly. As the Henley Passport Index January 2025 edition reveals, global travel freedom has nearly doubled from 58 visa-free destinations in 2006 to 111 in 2025, but the gap between the most and least mobile nations has reached unprecedented levels. As Dr. Christian H. Kaelin has highlighted, “The global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access a record-breaking 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan.”
This growing mobility disparity is particularly evident in Schengen visa application outcomes. My 2024 research revealed that African applicants face significantly higher rejection rates than the global average. These rejection rates, largely driven by passport power and identity-based visa policies, have more than doubled over the past decade and create substantial barriers to economic mobility for African citizens.
Key findings in Schengen visa rejections
In this edition, following up on my previous analysis, I present three key findings from a data-driven comparison of Schengen visa rejection rates between African and Asian countries.
First, African applicants face consistently higher rejection rates than their Asian and global peers. In 2023, despite submitting half as many applications as those from Asia, African applicants were twice as likely to be rejected, with rates 14 percentage points higher than Asian applicants.
Second, while the strength of the applicant’s passport based on the Henley Passport Index and Henley Passport Power Index, as well as reciprocity agreements, are key factors in Schengen visa access, the variation in rejection rates between regions and nationalities goes beyond economic considerations. Discriminatory policies driven by identity-based electoral processes, broad discretionary powers of immigration officials, and visa sanctions against countries deemed uncooperative in readmitting irregular migrants contribute to higher rejection rates for certain nationalities, ultimately reducing legal mobility.
Third, these regional disparities between the Global North and Global South, and between Africa and Asia, reveal how visa policies contribute to a rapidly widening mobility gap in a world where travel freedom is expanding selectively, creating a system where some nationalities enjoy greater mobility while barriers grow for others.