In 2023, African applicants for Schengen visas faced some of the highest rejection rates worldwide, revealing a growing divide in global mobility.
While African nations submitted half as many applications as Asian countries, their rejection rates were twice as high, underscoring systemic barriers to international travel.
The January 2025 Henley Passport Index highlights an alarming disparity in global mobility. While international travel freedom has nearly doubled since 2006, the gap between the most and least mobile nations is wider than ever.
Schengen visa applications starkly illustrate this divide, with African applicants experiencing rejection rates 14 percentage points higher than their Asian counterparts.
What is Schengen visa?
Legit.ng reports that the Schengen visa is a short-term visa that allows its holder to travel to any of the 27 member countries within the Schengen Area for tourism, business, or family visits. The Schengen Area is a zone in Europe where 27 countries have abolished internal border controls for free and unrestricted movement of people.
Disproportionate rejection rates
Out of all Schengen visa applications in 2023, African countries accounted for only 2.8% of the total.
Yet, these nations faced an average rejection rate of 44.8%, with nearly half of the 277,792 applications denied. This troubling trend reflects not only economic and documentation challenges but also systemic discrimination in visa policies.
Here are the countries where applicants faced the most significant barriers to obtaining Schengen visas:
| Rank | Country | Applications | Rejections | Rejection Rate |
| 1. | Comoros | 3,768 | 2,174 | 61.3% |
| 2. | Guinea-Bissau | 5,493 | 2,634 | 51.0% |
| 3. | Ghana | 45,421 | 21,226 | 47.5% |
| 4. | Mali | 20,760 | 9,637 | 46.1% |
| 5. | Guinea | 14,155 | 6,021 | 43.7% |
| 6. | Sudan | 2,452 | 997 | 42.3% |
| 7. | Senegal | 64,392 | 26,497 | 41.2% |
| 8. | Nigeria | 105,926 | 42,940 | 40.8% |
| 9. | Burundi | 3,774 | 1,391 | 36.9% |
| 10. | Mauritania | 23,253 | 8,289 | 36.6% |
Possible reasons for high rejection rates
As reported by Business Insider Africa, at first glance, high rejection rates may seem linked to poor documentation or economic instability.
However, systemic discrimination and the perceived “strength” of African passports also play significant roles.
Visa policies often penalize African nations, especially when countries are viewed as uncooperative in accepting the return of irregular migrants.
A call for fairness
The rejection rates underscore the need for fairer visa policies. As mobility divides deepen, millions of Africans remain locked out of opportunities for international travel, trade, and collaboration.
Addressing this inequity requires not only stronger advocacy but also systemic changes to visa regimes that disproportionately penalize developing nations.
UK visa application: New locations announced
Previously, Legit.ng earlier reported that the UK visa application process in Nigeria is undergoing a major change as VFS Global takes over as the supplier of visa application centres.
UKinNigeria announced the update on X, advising customers that during the transition, some may need to submit and collect their documents at different locations. Affected customers will be notified via email.