LONDON — Britain’s newly designed passport was meant to celebrate the country’s creativity and innovation over the last five centuries, and officials have called it the “latest step in an evolutionary process” for passport security.

Activists and female politicians, however, say that the new travel document is a step backward because it features seven men but only two women.

The current passport, which is decorated with drawings of many birds but no humans, will be replaced next month by the new document, which the Home Office unveiled on Tuesday.

Called the “Creative United Kingdom” passport, it has been described as the most secure one that Britain has ever issued, with advanced technology using watermarks and ink that become visible only under infrared or ultraviolet light.