US Green Card Lottery: List of African Countries with Lowest Number of Selectees

• Data from the US Department of State showed which African countries recorded the smallest share of selected DV-2026 lottery applicants
• Mauritius and Western Sahara topped the list with just two prospective applicants selected each in the DV-2026 round
• Several of Africa's biggest nations recorded thousands of selectees, exposing a stark continental divide in Green Card lottery outcomes

New figures from the United States Department of State have shed light on which African nations recorded the fewest selected participants in the Diversity Visa (DV-2026) lottery, commonly known as the Green Card lottery.

The data shared on September 9, 2026, by Yuko showed a wide gap across the continent, with several countries returning single-digit selection figures.

Mauritius and Western Sahara came in at the very bottom, with just two prospective applicants selected each.

Eswatini and Namibia followed with three apiece, while Mozambique registered four.

Botswana recorded seven, Guinea-Bissau reached 10, and Comoros and Equatorial Guinea each had 12 selected participants. The Central African Republic rounded out the ten lowest-ranked African nations with 19 prospective applicants.

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It is worth noting that these figures represent total prospective applicants rather than principal selectees alone, meaning they also account for qualifying spouses and children as defined by the State Department's reporting methodology.

How the DV lottery works

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme awards more than 50,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to nationals of countries that have historically contributed low volumes of immigration to the United States.

Entries are submitted electronically during a set registration window, and selectees are chosen through a computer-generated random draw.

Countries that have sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the US over the preceding five years are barred from participating. This restriction has historically excluded populous African nations such as Nigeria and Egypt from qualifying in certain years.

African countries with the highest selectees

At the opposite end of the scale, several African nations posted considerably higher figures.

Egypt led the continent with 5,527 chosen participants, followed by Algeria and Sudan in second and third place respectively. Kenya came in fourth with 3,949 selected participants, ahead of Morocco, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Togo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ghana.

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The sharp contrast between the highest and lowest performers across the continent largely reflects differences in population size and the level of public awareness around the annual application window.

Smaller nations or those with limited access to information about the programme tend to generate fewer entries and, by extension, fewer selectees.

Being selected in the lottery does not, however, guarantee a visa. Successful applicants are still required to complete medical examinations, background checks, and consular interviews before being granted lawful permanent residence in the United States.

Countries barred from 2026 US DV programme

In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that a major update had emerged for people hoping to secure a US Green Card through the Diversity Visa Lottery.

While thousands of hopeful applicants awaited their next steps, some nationals had been left out of the latest programme.

The countries affected and other important details had subsequently been made public.

Source: YEN.com.gh