Schengen embassies in Nigeria rejected a total 44,076 visa applications during 2018, more than in any other African countries, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.
Latest official data reveal that Schengen countries remain a popular destination for travellers from Nigeria. Last year, exactly 88,587 residents of Nigeria submitted a Schengen uniform visa application.
Thus, it meant that the number of visa applications increased slightly compared to 83,647 being recorded during 2017.
What accounted for the main highlight of this annual statistical report, was the high number of Schengen visa denials in Nigeria. As shown in the statistics, of the total 88,587 visa applications in 2018, Schengen embassies rejected almost half of them (49.8% or 44,076). As such, Nigeria claimed the first spot in the list of African countries with most Schengen visa applications being denied.
France stood at the top of the table of Schengen embassies which declined most visa applications. The French embassy located in Lagos counted for 12,963 visa denials all alone. Said otherwise, visa denials at this embassy shared over than half of the visa applications (25,521). Other French embassy situated in Abuja added some 3,510 denied visas.
Italy (5,766), Germany (5,098), Portugal (4,492) and Spain (3,515) followed in this list.
The table below features five Schengen countries whose embassies received most visa applications in Nigeria along with other related data.
| Schengen Embassy | Uniform Visas Applied For | Uniform visas issued | Share of MEV | Denied Visas |
| France | 33,308 | 16,511 | 30.3% | 16,473 |
| Italy | 13,295 | 7,407 | 62.7% | 5,766 |
| Germany | 10,847 | 5,551 | 50.2% | 5,098 |
| Portugal | 5,939 | 1,323 | 4.6% | 4,492 |
| Spain | 6,676 | 2,859 | 3.5% | 3,515 |