Ease Index Methodology

Measuring Global Travel Friction

While a passport index measures how easily you can travel the world, the Ease Index measures the reverse: how easy it is for the world to travel to a specific destination.

We look at every destination and analyze its entry policies against all global passports. The more passports that require a full embassy visa to visit, the "harder" or more restrictive that destination is deemed to be.

The Hardness Score

Each destination is given a Friction Score (0–100) for how difficult it is for the average global citizen to cross its borders. A higher score means it is harder to enter. We start from the same access impact points as the Passport Index (15 = best, 0 = baseline), then map each tier to friction with 100 × (15 − impact) / 15 so the scale stays anchored at fully open (0) vs embassy visa (100).

• Freedom of Movement (0% friction): The “Citizen Experience.” Live, work, and stay without a clock ticking.
• Visa-Free (20% friction): The Gold Standard for tourists. Walk through the border with a nod.
• ETA (33% friction): Negligible friction. Usually a one-time, 10-minute form valid for years.
• Visa on Arrival (VoA) (40% friction): Spontaneity King. No pre-travel admin required; just show up and pay.
• e-Visa (67% friction): Digital, but still “homework.” Requires portals, uploads, and waiting.
• Visa-Free Transit (93% friction): The “Airport Couch.” You aren’t staying, but you aren’t stuck in a lounge.
• Visa Required (100% friction): Full friction. Interviews, physical mail, and embassy visits.

How the Ranking is Calculated

The Ease Index table defaults to easiest first (most welcoming at the top, lowest friction). Choose strictest first to flip the list so the hardest borders lead. The same ease rank and ordering logic is used on the homepage host cards.

Rather than just sorting by the raw Friction Score (which acts more as a display gauge), our tiebreaker and sorting logic is deeply granular. We compare destinations tier by tier along the entry tiers. A destination that forces more passports into e-Visa than another does into visa on arrival will sit stricter on the list when you use strictest-first sorting, matching the impact scale (VoA sits above e-Visa).