United States Passports
Applications and Issuances: 1996-2014 (Fiscal Years).
Source: Bureau of Consular Affairs
Applications and Issuances: 1996-2014 (Fiscal Years).
Source: Bureau of Consular Affairs
1997-2007: the number of passports applied for and issued more than tripled.
2001: after the World Trade Center attacks the gap between applications and issuances gets larger, possibly indicating stricter legal requirements or more stringent adjudication.
2007: the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was implemented requiring travelers to show a valid passport or other approved document when traveling to the US from areas within the Western Hemisphere.
2008: passport cards were introduced. One application can be used for a passport book and a passport card thus allowing for the total number of issuances (books and cards) to exceed the number of applications.