Why can some people travel the world with ease while others face endless paperwork, rejections, and waiting? In a recent study I co-authored with colleagues, we explore something called "mobility bias" — a simple truth: where you're born largely determines where you can go.
Not All Passports Are Created Equal
Think of your passport as a key. Some keys open almost every door, while others barely open a few. Our research found that people from wealthy countries like Germany, the US, or Japan can visit over 170 countries without needing a visa. Meanwhile, citizens from many African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian countries can only access fewer than 90 destinations visa-free.
This isn't just about convenience. It's about opportunity. When you can't travel freely, you miss out on education, job opportunities, business deals, and even seeing your own family abroad.
The Money Gap Is Huge
Here's something that might surprise you: people from poorer countries pay more to travel to rich countries — not less. Our analysis shows that someone from Africa or South Asia pays about $121 on average for a visa to visit a wealthy country. But someone from a wealthy country only pays about $50 to visit a developing nation.
And it's not just the money. The waiting is different too. We found that travelers from developing countries wait an average of 27 days to get their visa processed. Wealthy country citizens? Just 18 days.
Embassies Play Different Roles
One of our key findings is that embassies and consulates from rich and poor countries do very different work. Wealthy country embassies focus on business deals, cultural exchanges, and building influence around the world. They're playing offense.
Embassies from poorer countries? They're mostly playing defense — helping citizens who've been denied visas, stranded abroad, or caught in legal problems. They're spending their limited resources putting out fires instead of opening doors.
The budget difference is staggering. The US spends over $76 billion on its diplomatic operations. Ghana? About $95 million — that's roughly 0.12% of what America spends.
Even Within Regions, It's Unequal
You might think countries would make travel easy for their neighbors, but our research shows that's often not the case. In Africa, only about 30% of travel between countries is visa-free — compared to 78% in Europe. Sometimes African countries impose stricter rules on fellow African citizens than wealthy nations do.
Why This Matters for Everyone
This isn't just a problem for people who want to take vacations. When people can't move freely, everyone loses out. Countries miss out on talented workers. Families can't reunite. Money that migrants send home to support their families gets blocked. Knowledge and ideas don't spread.
The system creates a world where your birthplace determines your freedom to move — which then affects your ability to learn, earn, and grow.
What Can Be Done?
In our paper, we suggest several practical solutions. Countries could work together to create fairer visa policies. Regional groups in Africa and Asia could make travel easier within their areas. And everyone needs to recognize that the right to travel shouldn't depend on which passport you happened to get at birth.
The bottom line? Global travel is supposed to connect us all. But right now, it's a system that keeps some people moving freely while others stay stuck in place. Changing this isn't just about fairness — it's about building a world where everyone has a shot at opportunity.
Read the full publication: Diplomatic Disparities and Mobility Bias: Structural Inequalities in the Migration-Development Nexus