A total of 44,076 visa applications were rejected by Schengen Embassies in Nigeria in 2018, a report has said.

According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, the figure is the highest in Africa.

Latest official data revealed that Schengen countries remained a popular destination for travellers from Nigeria. Last year, exactly 88,587 residents of Nigeria submitted a Schengen uniform visa application, an increase from the 83,647 recorded in 2017.

The data showed that of the total 88,587 visa applications in 2018, Schengen embassies rejected almost half of them (49.8% or 44,076).

France stood at the top of the table of Schengen embassies which declined most visa applications. The French embassy located in Lagos accounted for 12,963 visa denials all alone. 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