A total of 11,716,723 Schengen visa applications have been filed at the visa centres of the Schengen Area Member States in 2024, 13.5 per cent more than in the previous year, when the Schengen countries received 10.3 million applications.
Data revealed on Sunday, May 18, show that the three main third countries where the highest number of applications were lodged remain China, India, and Türkiye. Russia, on the other hand, which once was the largest source of Schengen applications, is listed fifth again, just after Morocco.
Commenting on the new data, the founder of Schengen Visa Info, Besart Bajrami, points out that the number of applications remains way below pre-pandemic, despite the year-on-year increase.
In spite of the considerate increase compared to last year, the numbers remain quite below those of 2019, before the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic when almost 17 million applications were filed.
He also lists some of the factors behind the slow recovery of the number of applications.
Coronavirus is no longer to blame, as restrictions have been lifted worldwide for quite some time now. Restrictions on Russian citizens might have hindered the recovery to pre-2020 levels, to some extent, as well as the increased rejection rates, which have discouraged potential travellers to Europe from applying for a Schengen Visa.
Favorite Destinations for Schengen Visa Applicants: Spain Kicks Germany From 2nd Spot, France Remains at Top
France is once again the top favorite destination for Schengen visa applicants, with over a quarter of applications lodged worldwide having been received by its visa centers.
In 2025, France received 3,072,728 applications, granting approval to 2,549,735 of them, with a rejection rate of 15.8 per cent, above the Schengen average.
The largest national group of applicants for France in 2024 were Algerians with 352,295 applications, followed by Moroccans with 282,153, and Indian nationals with 197,959.
On the meantime, Spain replaced Germany in the second spot, with 1.6 million application. Germany, which has been listed either first or second for years now, is listed as the third most preferred Schengen destination of visa applicants, with 1.5 million visa applications in 2024.
Regarding rejected applications, like France, Spain also has an above the average rate at 15.7 per cent, while Germany’s was 13.7 per cent.
The Chinese nationals were the largest national group of applicants for both Spain and Germany, with 254,571 and 263,088 applications respectively.
2024 Schengen Visa Application Rejection Rates Drop Under 15%
While the number of applications remains low compared to pre-pandemic, the rejection rate this year has dropped to 14.8 per cent, from 16 per cent in 2023, after reaching an all-time high in 2022, at 17.9 per cent.
Malta is once again the country with the highest share of rejected visas, followed by Belgium and Sweden. However, the countries with the largest number of refused applications in 2024 are as follows:
- France – 481,139
- Spain – 244,432
- Germany – 206,733
- Italy – 134,303
- Netherlands – 111,209
The top five countries with the highest rejection rates are Bangladesh with 54.9 per cent, Pakistan – 47.5 per cent, Guinea-Bissau – 47 per cent, Senegal – 46.8 per cent, and Haiti – 46.3 per cent.