Nigerians are encountering a sharp rise in Schengen visa rejections, with nearly half of all applications submitted in 2024 turned down. According to the Henley Global Mobility Report released in January 2025 by Henley & Partners, 42,940 out of 105,926 applications from Nigeria—representing a rejection rate of 40.8%—were declined.
This alarming trend reflects a broader surge in migration as economic challenges force many Nigerians to seek opportunities abroad. Over the past four years, the migration rate has escalated, driven by worsening inflation, unemployment, and a lack of viable prospects within the country. In November 2024, inflation reached a record 34.6%, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and deepening financial struggles for the middle class.
Nigeria Among Top Nations for Schengen Visa Denials
The rejection rate places Nigeria 11th among the top 20 countries with the highest Schengen visa denials. The report highlights that passport strength and identity-based visa policies are key contributors to the rejection surge, which has more than doubled over the past decade. This growing disparity has created significant barriers to global mobility for Nigerians and other African nationals.
Nigeria’s passport currently ranks 94th on the Henley Passport Index, underscoring its limited travel privileges. The report also revealed that African countries face some of the highest visa rejection rates globally, despite submitting a relatively low number of applications. Six African nations—Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Mali, Sudan, and Senegal—are among the top 10 countries with the highest rejection rates, ranging from 61.3% to 41.2%.
Global and Regional Trends
Beyond Africa, countries such as Pakistan (49.6%), Syria (46%), and Bangladesh (43.3%) also faced significant rejection rates. Surprisingly, Greece, a Schengen member, recorded the second-highest rejection rate globally at 56.4%.
The report notes that African and Asian applicants submitted 703,894 Schengen visa applications in 2023, representing just 6.8% of the total. However, 40% of these applications were rejected. African applicants, despite contributing fewer applications, faced a disproportionately high rejection rate of 45%, far exceeding the global average.
Expert Commentary
Commenting on the findings, Prof. Mehari Maru of the European University Institute and Johns Hopkins University emphasized the widening global mobility divide. He noted that while global travel freedom has nearly doubled since 2006, the gap between the most mobile and least mobile nations has reached unprecedented levels.
“Africans face consistently higher rejection rates than their Asian and global peers,” he stated. “In 2023, despite submitting half as many applications as those from Asia, African applicants were twice as likely to be rejected.”
This trend underscores the increasing challenges faced by Nigerian and African travelers in securing access to Schengen nations, reflecting a broader issue of inequality in global mobility.
