21+ Surprising Facts and Stats about Passports [2024]

Most of us don’t give much thought to passports. 

It’s just one of those documents you need to go abroad. Plus, it often features an outdated photo of you OR where you look like you’ve just taken a transatlantic flight.

But—

Passports have a long and strange history you probably didn’t learn in class.

That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 21+ unusual facts and stats about passports to spice up your knowledge.

Let’s dive in.

Top Facts and Stats about Passports (Editor’s Picks)

• In 2023, Liechtenstein’s passport was the most expensive in the world at $264, followed by Australia’s at $218.
• With visa-free access to 193 countries, the Singaporean passport is the world’s most powerful as of 2023.

• In 2023, over 160M valid US passports were in circulation.
• Approximately 47% of Americans have a valid passport.

Historical and Unique Features of Passports

• Passports date back to ancient times, with one of their earliest mentions in the Bible around 450 BC.
• During the War for Independence (1775–1783), the first US passports were simple paper documents, valid for 3–6 months, featuring the bearer’s name and description on one side.
• Even though passport photos have existed since 1915, most initially had no requirements. As a result, people were photographed with family, pets, smoking, or playing musical instruments.
• Charles III is the only person who doesn’t need to carry a passport when traveling abroad.
• If you flip a Finnish passport forward, images along the bottom of the pages will create a moving picture of a walking moose.
• If you shine Norwegian passports under UV light, the Northern Lights will appear on the paper as iridescent trails.

Passport Statistics and Trends

• With visa-free access to 193 countries, the Singaporean passport is the world’s most powerful as of 2023.
• Blue is the most popular passport color, preferred by 84 nations, followed by red (68), green (40), and black (7).
• In 2023, Liechtenstein’s passport was the most expensive in the world at $264, followed by Australia’s at $218.

• In 2023, over 160M valid US passports were in circulation compared to 151.8M in the previous year.

• Over 145M Americans had a biometric passport in 2022.
• Approximately 47% of Americans have a valid passport.
• The Vatican State has its own passports. Of the ~800 residents of Vatican City, more than 450 have Vatican citizenship.
• Despite holding one of the most powerful passports, less than 20% of Japanese citizens have one.

Passport Security and Regulations

• By early 2024, Singapore’s Changi Airport plans to be the first global hub to eliminate passports, using an automated immigration system based on biometric data.
• Finland was the first country to test digital passports, allowing travelers on certain Finnair flights from Helsinki to the UK to use Digital Travel Credentials (DTC) instead of physical passports.
• Each US passport is printed with 60 different materials and has 30 security features, making it nearly impossible to forge.
• The Nicaraguan passport, recognized as one of the most secure globally, incorporates 89 features like barcodes, holograms, and watermarks.
• You can get a world passport, allowing you to travel to several countries, including Togo, Tanzania, Ecuador, Zambia, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania.
• All Pakistani passports carry the inscription, “This passport is valid for all countries of the World except Israel.”
• In the UK, horses, too, require a passport that details their breed, color, species, vaccination status, and owner information.

Stacking It All Up

There you have it.

A comprehensive list of surprising facts and stats about passports.

If you believe your audience will be interested in any of the information we’ve provided, feel free to share it. Just remember to link back to this page as a credit to our work.

Sources

• Atlas Obscura, “The History of Passport Photos, from ‘Anything Goes’ to Today’s Mugshots”
• Bureau of Consular Affairs, “Reports and Statistics”
• Business Insider, “New Finnish Passport Is a Flip Book”
• CNN, “Why Japan Has So Many ‘Never Travelers’”
• Condé Nast Traveler, “The Future of International Travel Is Passport-Free”
• Condé Nast Traveler, “Your Passport Is Way More Complex Than You Think”
• Gov.UK, “Getting and Using a Horse Passport”
• Henley & Partners, “The Henley Passport Index”
• New Atlas, “Digital Passports Are Here to Speed Up Travel, and Finland Is First to Fly”
• Passport Index, “Explore the World of Passports by Color”
• Passport Photo Online, “The Changing Landscape of Passport Photos”
• Passport-collector.com, “Global Passport Fees: How Much Do You Pay?”
• Pew Research Center, “Most Americans Have Traveled Abroad, but This Varies by Income, Education, Race”
• The Royal Family, “Passports”
• The Sydney Morning Herald, “Why Are Passports Usually Red, Green, Blue or Black in Colour?”
• Wikipedia, “Israel–Pakistan Relations”
• Wikipedia, “Mehran Karimi Nasseri”
• Wikipedia, “Nicaraguan Passport”
• Wikipedia, “Passport”
• Wikipedia, “Travel Visa”
• Wikipedia, “United States Passport”
• Wikipedia, “Vatican and Holy See passports”
• Wikipedia, “World Passport”

Max Woolf

As a Digital PR specialist and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Max has 5+ years of writing experience.
Over the course of his career, Max’s work has garnered significant attention, with features in numerous prominent publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, Inc., Business Insider, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, BBC, TechRepublic, Glassdoor, and G2.