Nigeria tops the list of African nations with the highest number of UK visa rejections, accounting for 44.4% of all denials on the continent over a 21-year period, according to official UK government data.
The statistics, published in 2026, cover decisions across visitor, study, work, and family visa routes from the first quarter of 2005 through the first quarter of 2026.
Of the 3,027,198 total UK visa refusals for African nationalities during this timeframe, Nigeria recorded 1,344,595 rejections.
Ghana ranked second on the continent with 374,108 refusals and a 40.5% rejection rate, followed by Algeria with 191,903 refusals at a 41.7% rate. (2% rate) and 102,246 refusals (26% rate), respectively.
The remainder of the top ten most refused African nationalities includes Morocco (93,722 refusals; 22.2% rate), Kenya (75,973; 18.8% rate), Uganda (64,759; 34.9% rate), South Africa (61,521; 3.6% rate), and Sudan (59,069; 31% rate).
