Africans twice as likely to be rejected for Schengen visas – Report

In a recent report by Henley Passport Index, the original ranking of the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa has disclosed that Africans are twice as likely to be rejected for Schengen visas.

According to the report, in exclusive new research conducted for Henley & Partners and published in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2025 Q1, Mehari Taddele Maru of the School of Transnational Governance and the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute and of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, compared Schengen visa rejection rates for African applicants to those from other regions.

“My latest research compares the 10 countries facing the highest Schengen visa rejection rates and reveals that while globally only one in six applications is rejected, one in two African applicants is rejected.

“In 2023, African countries accounted for just 2.8 percent of global applications out of a total of over 10 million worldwide, yet half of their applications were rejected. Even more concerning is that this trend has worsened over the past decade, with rejection rates more than doubling during this period.”

The research shows that among the top 10 countries facing the highest Schengen visa rejection rates, six are in Africa. Comoros fares the worst with a 61.3 per cent rejection rate, followed by Guinea-Bissau at 51per cent, Ghana at 47. per cent, Mali at 46per per cent, Sudan at 42.3 per cent, and Senegal at 41.2per cent. Three Asian countries and a European country complete the most-rejected list: Pakistan with 49.6 per cent, Syria with 46per and Bangladesh with 43. per cent.

The contrast becomes particularly stark when comparing Africa with Asia and global rates.

Despite African countries submitting only half as many applications as Asian countries, African applicants were twice as likely to be rejected.

Maru says this pattern suggests that the variation in rejection rates between regions and nationalities extends beyond purely economic factors.

“This growing disparity in visa rejection rates contributes to a broader pattern of global mobility inequality. As a result, African citizens find themselves at the bottom of the mobility ladder, which significantly limits their access to international economic opportunities.

“In short, the poorest individuals face the greatest difficulties when seeking to travel or move to more prosperous countries. I would argue that weak economies and discriminatory policies based on identity and culture explain the high rate of rejection for African Schengen visa applicants.”