When it is rainy and T’s brain needs a workout, he will change these numbers into more compelling pictures for Generation Pictogram.  In the meanwhile, some food for thought….

Per the US Census bureau, the US population in 2014 is 313,395,400.  Of this group, the US citizens would be eligible to apply for passports.

Location	Citizen	Non-Citizen	Total
United States	291,536,400	21,859,000	313,395,400

*Table courtesy of Kaiser Family Foundation http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/distribution-by-citizenship-status/

Per our State Department,  there are 121,512,341 valid US Passports in circulation in 2014.  Of these, 14,087,341 (includes 1,463,191 passport cards) were issued this fiscal year.  And to answer your next question, a US passport card is basically a driver’s license between the US, Canada and Mexico (or the Caribbean and Bermuda for sea travel only).

So, in other words only 42% of US citizens have passports.  I don’t know what percent use them, but we are proud to be in the 42%!

At our first stop- Dubai in the United Arab Emirates- the numbers are harder for me to come by.  According to the World Bank, the population of the UAE today is around 9.2 million.  In other words, the US is about 35 times more populous (not necessarily more popular).  Interestingly, of their population, 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates.  Imagine what their immigration debates are like!  The population of Dubai itself is estimated at 1.78 million (and no numbers for how many of that number are the 1.4 Emirati, but would love to know that stat).  Though I haven’t been able to find out what percent of UAE citizens have passports, I did learn a few interesting things about their passports.

• The UAE is the second Middle Eastern country after Qatar to issue the electronic passport with more sophisticated technology, including a microchip with biometric data.  Think fingerprints, iris or CSI.
• According to the ever reliable Wikipedia, “Prior to the formation of the UAE in 1971, the constituting states were responsible for issuing their own passports or travel documents. Such documents were printed in Arabic and English and often made a reference to Britain, which occupied the UAE at the time. Many natives had failed to obtain passports in 1971 and this resulted in subsequent generations being denied the right to hold UAE passports or citizenship. These people, also known as bidun, have found it very difficult to live in the country and have faced trouble leaving the country.”

I know- you are probably wishing it was just a food picture post:) Another time!