Travel · Facts & sources
6 sourced facts about travel and work visas, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
Answermore than 12 million
Demand rose 4.3% from 2024 but is still well below the 17 million applications filed in 2019, before the pandemic.
Source: European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (2025) home-affairs.ec.europa.eu
Answer10,969,936
That was up just over 5% from about 10.4 million in FY 2023, and far above the 2.8 million issued in pandemic-hit FY 2021.
Source: BAL, citing the U.S. State Department Report of the Visa Office 2024 (2024) bal.com
AnswerChina, 1.9 million
Türkiye (1.26 million) and India (1.15 million) followed. About 51.7% of visas issued allowed multiple entries.
Source: European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (2025) home-affairs.ec.europa.eu
Answer612,258
Immigrant visa issuance rose 8.75% from 562,976 the year before. Temporary visas outnumber them roughly 18 to 1.
Source: BAL, citing the U.S. State Department Report of the Visa Office 2024 (2024) bal.com
Answer109 destinations
The global average has nearly doubled in two decades, and more than 80 passports climbed at least 10 places over the past ten years.
Source: Henley & Partners, Henley Passport Index (July 2025) (2025) henleyglobal.com
Answer343,981
That was a 26.9% drop from 470,342 the year before; unique beneficiaries also fell, from 423,028 to 336,153.
Source: Ogletree, citing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data (2025) ogletree.com