🇺🇸 Official data · FY2025
US visa refusal rates by country — all 199 nationalities
In FY2025 the median nationality faced a 31.78% adjusted refusal rate on US B1/B2 visitor visas, and 58 of 199 nationalities were refused at least half the time. The highest rate belongs to Laos at 84.35%; the lowest is United Arab Emirates at 2.17%. Read the median as the middle country, not the middle applicant — the State Department publishes no application counts, so a rate cannot be weighted by volume, and large applicant pools such as India sit well below it. Every figure below is the State Department's own published number for the fiscal year ending 30 September 2025, next to FY2024 so the direction of travel is visible.
Source: U.S. Department of State — Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality · restated without adjustment.
Highest and lowest refusal rates, FY2025
5 jurisdictions sitting at exactly 0% or 100% are left out of these two lists — with no published application counts, those are sample-size artefacts rather than findings. They remain in the full table below.
Highest refusal rates
- 1 Laos 84.35%
- 2 Somalia 83.52%
- 3 South Sudan 76.09%
- 4 Gambia, The 75.29%
- 5 Guinea - Bissau 75.17%
- 6 Senegal 73.96%
- 7 Liberia 73.01%
- 8 Togo 72.02%
- 9 Burkina Faso 71.25%
- 10 Cuba 70.86%
Lowest refusal rates
- 1 United Arab Emirates 2.17%
- 2 Cyprus 2.55%
- 3 Uruguay 2.59%
- 4 Oman 3.14%
- 5 Kiribati 4.50%
- 6 Tuvalu 4.55%
- 7 Bulgaria 5.11%
- 8 Iceland 5.43%
- 9 Japan 5.68%
- 10 Switzerland 5.82%
Biggest year-on-year increases
Where FY2025 tightened hardest against FY2024. The State Department publishes the rates without explanation, so these are movements, not diagnoses.
Full table — every nationality
| Nationality | FY2025 | FY2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 63.25% | 48.89% | +14.36 |
| Albania | 37.32% | 33.37% | +3.95 |
| Algeria | 51.23% | 50.72% | +0.51 |
| Andorra | 9.09% | 28.57% | -19.48 |
| Angola | 54.33% | 49.36% | +4.97 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 38.89% | 26.74% | +12.15 |
| Argentina | 7.47% | 8.90% | -1.43 |
| Armenia | 56.37% | 59.46% | -3.09 |
| Australia | 22.93% | 20.67% | +2.26 |
| Austria | 8.92% | 9.94% | -1.02 |
| Azerbaijan | 20.91% | 21.46% | -0.55 |
| Bahamas, The | 14.46% | 12.81% | +1.65 |
| Bahrain | 24.01% | 17.83% | +6.18 |
| Bangladesh | 61.45% | 46.09% | +15.36 |
| Barbados | 18.46% | 10.81% | +7.65 |
| Belarus | 26.58% | 28.79% | -2.21 |
| Belgium | 12.80% | 11.65% | +1.15 |
| Belize | 32.32% | 29.48% | +2.84 |
| Benin | 64.58% | 61.49% | +3.09 |
| Bhutan | 56.03% | 49.46% | +6.57 |
| Bolivia | 29.83% | 28.93% | +0.90 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | 14.89% | 11.64% | +3.25 |
| Botswana | 38.44% | 32.44% | +6 |
| Brazil | 14.87% | 15.48% | -0.61 |
| Brunei | 8.33% | 4% | +4.33 |
| Bulgaria | 5.11% | 6.02% | -0.91 |
| Burkina Faso | 71.25% | 58.03% | +13.22 |
| Burma | 64.19% | 62.58% | +1.61 |
| Burundi | 69.23% | 65.52% | +3.71 |
| Cabo Verde | 53.87% | 52.02% | +1.85 |
| Cambodia | 30.71% | 28.32% | +2.39 |
| Cameroon | 60.55% | 55.57% | +4.98 |
| Canada | 53.10% | 56.35% | -3.25 |
| Central African Republic | 42.60% | 48.46% | -5.86 |
| Chad | 61.63% | 58.60% | +3.03 |
| Chile | 16.38% | 20.15% | -3.77 |
| China | 20.21% | 25.37% | -5.16 |
| Colombia | 32.84% | 24.70% | +8.14 |
| Comoros | 30.19% | 25.42% | +4.77 |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 63.37% | 46.77% | +16.60 |
| Congo, Republic of the | 64.75% | 48.78% | +15.97 |
| Costa Rica | 16.14% | 12.66% | +3.48 |
| Croatia | 14.75% | 11.56% | +3.19 |
| Cuba | 70.86% | 53.35% | +17.51 |
| Cyprus | 2.55% | 2.16% | +0.39 |
| Czech Republic | 8.66% | 7.96% | +0.70 |
| Denmark | 12.59% | 9.25% | +3.34 |
| Djibouti | 61.47% | 64.71% | -3.24 |
| Dominica | 42.89% | 35.41% | +7.48 |
| Dominican Republic | 36.40% | 43.38% | -6.98 |
| Ecuador | 42.24% | 36.99% | +5.25 |
| Egypt | 47.61% | 39.77% | +7.84 |
| El Salvador | 58.22% | 52.65% | +5.57 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 68.63% | 55.07% | +13.56 |
| Eritrea | 60.02% | 49.94% | +10.08 |
| Estonia | 11.33% | 9.79% | +1.54 |
| Eswatini | 50.87% | 38.44% | +12.43 |
| Ethiopia | 53.64% | 51.17% | +2.47 |
| Federated States of Micronesia | 100% | 0% | +100 |
| Fiji | 32.83% | 35.25% | -2.42 |
| Finland | 18.09% | 14.49% | +3.60 |
| France | 9.67% | 8.50% | +1.17 |
| Gabon | 44.63% | 27.76% | +16.87 |
| Gambia, The | 75.29% | 66.03% | +9.26 |
| Georgia | 45.57% | 41.44% | +4.13 |
| Germany | 12.22% | 10.02% | +2.20 |
| Ghana | 64.34% | 55.59% | +8.75 |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 20.44% | 18.03% | +2.41 |
| Greece | 9.30% | 10.16% | -0.86 |
| Grenada | 43.73% | 33.13% | +10.60 |
| Guatemala | 39.21% | 30.84% | +8.37 |
| Guinea | 66.90% | 70.25% | -3.35 |
| Guinea - Bissau | 75.17% | 76.59% | -1.42 |
| Guyana | 26.61% | 34.25% | -7.64 |
| Haiti | 50.26% | 47.35% | +2.91 |
| Honduras | 46.52% | 42.61% | +3.91 |
| Hong Kong S. A. R. | 7.72% | 6.16% | +1.56 |
| Hungary | 7.91% | 5.93% | +1.98 |
| Iceland | 5.43% | 5.80% | -0.37 |
| India | 22.04% | 16.32% | +5.72 |
| Indonesia | 26.69% | 20.09% | +6.60 |
| Iran | 62.44% | 55.54% | +6.90 |
| Iraq | 39.86% | 33.44% | +6.42 |
| Ireland | 25.12% | 22.19% | +2.93 |
| Israel | 11.32% | 8.64% | +2.68 |
| Italy | 12.65% | 10.89% | +1.76 |
| Ivoire | 36.79% | 30.08% | +6.71 |
| Jamaica | 44.26% | 43.67% | +0.59 |
| Japan | 5.68% | 5.76% | -0.08 |
| Jordan | 56.63% | 45.86% | +10.77 |
| Kazakhstan | 51.75% | 46.29% | +5.46 |
| Kenya | 68.23% | 63.32% | +4.91 |
| Kiribati | 4.50% | 10.81% | -6.31 |
| Korea, North | 33.33% | 0% | +33.33 |
| Korea, South | 24.73% | 14.97% | +9.76 |
| Kosovo | 35% | 36.52% | -1.52 |
| Kuwait | 6.06% | 5.50% | +0.56 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 59.02% | 39.14% | +19.88 |
| Laos | 84.35% | 82.84% | +1.51 |
| Latvia | 19% | 7.67% | +11.33 |
| Lebanon | 39.42% | 35.03% | +4.39 |
| Lesotho | 38.24% | 29.57% | +8.67 |
| Liberia | 73.01% | 79.38% | -6.37 |
| Libya | 31.78% | 24.64% | +7.14 |
| Liechtenstein | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| Lithuania | 21.32% | 21.04% | +0.28 |
| Luxembourg | 13.77% | 10.86% | +2.91 |
| Macau S.A.R. | 13.13% | 9.85% | +3.28 |
| Madagascar | 17.23% | 13.12% | +4.11 |
| Malawi | 53.42% | 47.78% | +5.64 |
| Malaysia | 7.92% | 6.79% | +1.13 |
| Maldives | 10.60% | 25.82% | -15.22 |
| Mali | 55.57% | 60.90% | -5.33 |
| Malta | 10.30% | 12.43% | -2.13 |
| Marshall Islands, Republic of the | 35.71% | 63.16% | -27.45 |
| Mauritania | 67.61% | 70.07% | -2.46 |
| Mauritius | 7.35% | 6.27% | +1.08 |
| Mexico | 21.36% | 13.87% | +7.49 |
| Moldova | 44.76% | 46.99% | -2.23 |
| Monaco | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| Mongolia | 31.28% | 39.36% | -8.08 |
| Montenegro | 33.41% | 36.48% | -3.07 |
| Morocco | 26.91% | 14.45% | +12.46 |
| Mozambique | 24.75% | 34.75% | -10 |
| Namibia | 16.54% | 21.95% | -5.41 |
| Nauru | 24.14% | 0% | +24.14 |
| Nepal | 69.47% | 49.47% | +20 |
| Netherlands | 17.42% | 14.79% | +2.63 |
| New Zealand | 21.94% | 22.79% | -0.85 |
| Nicaragua | 53.15% | 58.71% | -5.56 |
| Niger | 38.23% | 38.18% | +0.05 |
| Nigeria | 57% | 46.51% | +10.49 |
| Non-Nationality Based Issuances | 37.40% | 41.41% | -4.01 |
| North Macedonia | 25.55% | 28% | -2.45 |
| Norway | 16.18% | 19.44% | -3.26 |
| Oman | 3.14% | 4.50% | -1.36 |
| Pakistan | 52.32% | 45.65% | +6.67 |
| Palau | 80% | 63.64% | +16.36 |
| Palestinian Authority Travel Document | 60.26% | 44.51% | +15.75 |
| Panama | 6.51% | 19.93% | -13.42 |
| Papua New Guinea | 10.57% | 3.85% | +6.72 |
| Paraguay | 18.71% | 18.09% | +0.62 |
| Peru | 20.90% | 21.30% | -0.40 |
| Philippines | 30.76% | 28.33% | +2.43 |
| Poland | 11.63% | 10.99% | +0.64 |
| Portugal | 8.19% | 7.91% | +0.28 |
| Qatar | 9.69% | 4.67% | +5.02 |
| Romania | 8.41% | 2.61% | +5.80 |
| Russia | 40.38% | 38.56% | +1.82 |
| Rwanda | 64.71% | 55.76% | +8.95 |
| Samoa | 44.33% | 45.75% | -1.42 |
| San Marino | 20% | 9.09% | +10.91 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 25% | 50% | -25 |
| Saudi Arabia | 5.98% | 7.89% | -1.91 |
| Senegal | 73.96% | 74.65% | -0.69 |
| Serbia | 15.20% | 17.77% | -2.57 |
| Seychelles | 13.22% | 7.59% | +5.63 |
| Sierra Leone | 70.55% | 69.36% | +1.19 |
| Singapore | 18.64% | 10.40% | +8.24 |
| Slovakia | 14.33% | 11.58% | +2.75 |
| Slovenia | 14.57% | 12.42% | +2.15 |
| Solomon Islands | 7.84% | 5% | +2.84 |
| Somalia | 83.52% | 77.02% | +6.50 |
| South Africa | 11.66% | 10.65% | +1.01 |
| South Sudan | 76.09% | 60.35% | +15.74 |
| Spain | 23.67% | 16.39% | +7.28 |
| Sri Lanka | 33.35% | 29.76% | +3.59 |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | 35.09% | 26.64% | +8.45 |
| St. Lucia | 37.03% | 26.82% | +10.21 |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 37.34% | 26.64% | +10.70 |
| Sudan | 63.26% | 54.59% | +8.67 |
| Suriname | 14.28% | 13.63% | +0.65 |
| Sweden | 21.77% | 21.46% | +0.31 |
| Switzerland | 5.82% | 5.39% | +0.43 |
| Syria | 50.69% | 45.84% | +4.85 |
| Taiwan | 9.45% | 5.22% | +4.23 |
| Tajikistan | 47.83% | 45.24% | +2.59 |
| Tanzania | 39.41% | 36.69% | +2.72 |
| Thailand | 25.67% | 22.50% | +3.17 |
| Timor-Leste | 20.45% | 6.25% | +14.20 |
| Togo | 72.02% | 66.60% | +5.42 |
| Tonga | 47.21% | 47.33% | -0.12 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 14.92% | 18.18% | -3.26 |
| Tunisia | 25.89% | 23.21% | +2.68 |
| Turkey | 22.25% | 19.78% | +2.47 |
| Turkmenistan | 64.74% | 58.80% | +5.94 |
| Tuvalu | 4.55% | 8.33% | -3.78 |
| Uganda | 57.58% | 47.29% | +10.29 |
| Ukraine | 33.92% | 33.45% | +0.47 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2.17% | 1.46% | +0.71 |
| Uruguay | 2.59% | 2.63% | -0.04 |
| Uzbekistan | 52.46% | 64.41% | -11.95 |
| Vanuatu | 46.88% | 46.23% | +0.65 |
| Vatican City | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| Venezuela | 48.22% | 37.40% | +10.82 |
| Vietnam | 22.08% | 22.12% | -0.04 |
| Yemen | 67.98% | 58.07% | +9.91 |
| Zambia | 52.45% | 44.97% | +7.48 |
| Zimbabwe | 37.60% | 39.47% | -1.87 |
Adjusted refusal rate for B (visitor) visas only, as computed by the Department of State under the Visa Waiver Program methodology: refusals net of those later overcome, divided by issuances plus those refusals. It is a nationality-level rate for B1/B2 applicants, not a per-application probability, and it does not cover student, work or immigrant categories. US fiscal years end 30 September.
Frequently asked questions
What is the "adjusted refusal rate" for US visas?
It is the measure the State Department publishes for the Visa Waiver Program: refusals during the fiscal year, net of refusals later overcome when the applicant returned with the missing evidence, divided by issuances plus those net refusals. It covers B1/B2 visitor visas only — student, work and immigrant categories are excluded — and it describes a nationality as a whole, not an individual application.
Which country has the highest US visa refusal rate in FY2025?
Laos at 84.35%, followed by Somalia (83.52%) and South Sudan (76.09%). Across all 199 nationalities the median is 31.78% and 58 countries sit at or above 50%. Jurisdictions published at exactly 0% or 100% are excluded from that ranking: the table carries no application counts, so those are sample-size artefacts.
Does a high national refusal rate mean my own application will be refused?
No. The rate aggregates every applicant of that nationality across all US posts, including many with weak or incomplete applications. A consular officer decides your case on your own evidence — finances, employment, ties, travel history and any previous refusal. A high national rate tells you the bar is being applied strictly, not that your outcome is predetermined.
Why did so many rates rise between FY2024 and FY2025?
Refusal rates rose for most nationalities in this table — Korea, North moved the most, from 0% to 33.33%. The published data does not explain why, and we will not speculate: the State Department releases the rates without commentary. What the numbers do support is that FY2025 was a stricter year than FY2024 for the great majority of countries listed.
When is this data updated?
The State Department publishes the table once per fiscal year, normally in the autumn following the year end. FY2025 covers 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 and was published in late 2025. We restate it verbatim and link the source PDF so you can verify any figure.
