In 2024, there were about *** million stateless people worldwide. The number of stateless people peaked in 2008 and 2009, when more than *** million stateless persons were registered. A stateless person is someone who does not hold a citizenship in any country.

The UNHCR Population Statistics database currently contains data about UNHCR's populations of concern from the year 2000 up to 2013. The data is the same available in UNHCR's Yearbook Statistical Yearbook publications.

In this dataset it is possible to investigate different aspects of the populations of concern: their general composition by location of residence or origin, their status (refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, etc.), their evolution over time, and so on.

Data collated by UNHCR, containing information about forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons, spanning across more than 70 years of statistical activities. The data includes the countries / territories of asylum and origin. Specific resources are available for end-year population totals, demographics, asylum applications, decisions, and solutions availed by refugees and IDPs (resettlement, naturalisation or returns).

About ** percent of the global population of concern lived in Africa as of 2019. That year, the total population of concern in the continent reached **** million people. This includes refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returned refugees, and stateless people. Refugees and internally displaced persons made up the largest part of the population of concern. In 2019, there were *** million refugees and **** million IDPs protected or assisted by UNHCR in Africa.

Georgia Immigrants: Stateless data was reported at 94.000 Person in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 81.000 Person for 2017. Georgia Immigrants: Stateless data is updated yearly, averaging 145.000 Person from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2018, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 250.000 Person in 2012 and a record low of 81.000 Person in 2017. Georgia Immigrants: Stateless data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Statistics Office of Georgia. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Georgia – Table GE.G002: Migration.

Data collated by UNHCR, containing information about forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons, spanning across more than 70 years of statistical activities. The data includes the countries / territories of asylum and origin. Specific resources are available for end-year population totals, demographics, asylum applications, decisions, and solutions availed by refugees and IDPs (resettlement, naturalisation or returns).

Data collated by UNHCR, containing information about forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons, spanning across more than 70 years of statistical activities. The data includes the countries / territories of asylum and origin. Specific resources are available for end-year population totals, demographics, asylum applications, decisions, and solutions availed by refugees and IDPs (resettlement, naturalisation or returns).

At the end of 2024, ** percent of people in Germany who were stateless were born in Syria. To be stateless means that a person is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law". This can have complex ramifications and often result in challenges when trying to access basic rights including healthcare, education, and employment.

Data collated by UNHCR, containing information about forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons, spanning across more than 70 years of statistical activities. The data includes the countries / territories of asylum and origin. Specific resources are available for end-year population totals, demographics, asylum applications, decisions, and solutions availed by refugees and IDPs (resettlement, naturalisation or returns).

Abstract

In 2016, UNHCR became aware of a group of stateless persons living in or near Nairobi, Kenya. Most of them were Shona, descendants of missionaries who arrived from Zimbabwe and Zambia in the 1960s and remained in Kenya. The total number of Shona living in Kenya is estimated to be between 3,000 and 3,500 people.

On their first arrival, the Shona were issued certificates of registration, but a change in the Registration of Persons Act of 1978 did not make provision for people of non-Kenyan descent, consequently denying the Shona citizenship. Zimbabwe and Zambia did not consider them nationals either, rendering them stateless. Besides the Shona, there are other groups of stateless persons of different origins and ethnicities, with the total number of stateless persons in Kenya estimated at 18,500.

UNHCR and the Government of Kenya are taking steps to address statelessness in the country, among them is the registration of selected groups for nationalization. In April 2019, the Government of Kenya pledged to recognize qualifying members of the Shona community as Kenyan citizens. However, the lack of detailed information on the stateless population in Kenya hinders advocacy for the regularization of their nationality status. Together with the Kenyan Government through the Department of Immigration Services (DIS) and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), UNHCR Kenya conducted registration and socioeconomic survey for the Shona community from May to July 2019. While the primary objective of the registration was to document migration, residence and family history with the aim of preparing their registration as citizens, this survey was conducted to provide a baseline on the socio-economic situation of the stateless Shona population for comparison with non-stateless populations of Kenya.

Geographic coverage

Githurai, Nairobi, Kiambaa and Kinoo

Analysis unit

Household and individual

Universe

All Shona living in Nairobi and Kiambu counties, Kenya

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

The objective of the socio-economic survey was to cover the entire Shona population living in areas of the Nairobi and Kiambu counties. This included Shona living in Githurai, Kiambaa, Kinoo and other urban areas in and around Nairobi. Data collection for the socioeconomic survey took place concurrently with a registration verification. The registration verification was to collect information on the Shona's migration history, residence in Kenya and legal documentation to prepare their registration as citizens. The registration activity including questions on basic demographics also covered some enumeration areas outside the ones of the socio-economic survey, such as institutional households in Hurlingham belonging to a religious order who maintain significantly different living conditions than the average population. The total number of households for which socio-economic data was collected for is 350 with 1,692 individuals living in them. A listing of Shona households using key informant lists and respondent-driven referral to identify further households was conducted by KNBS and UNHCR before the start of enumeration for the registration verification and socio-economic survey.

Sampling deviation

None

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

The following sections are included: household roster, education, employment, household characteristics, consumption and expenditure.

Cleaning operations

The dataset presented here has undergone light checking, cleaning and restructuring (data may still contain errors) as well as anonymization (includes removal of direct identifiers and sensitive variables, recoding and local suppression).

Response rate

Overall reponse rate was 99 percent, mainly due to refusal to participate.

Over the period considered, Portugal registered increasing numbers of refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless persons, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). By 2021, there were more than ***** refugees residing in the country and almost ***** asylum-seekers. By 2024, refugees had increased to ****** and asylum-seekers to *****.

Georgia Emigrants: Stateless data was reported at 62.000 Person in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 52.000 Person for 2017. Georgia Emigrants: Stateless data is updated yearly, averaging 110.000 Person from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2018, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 183.000 Person in 2012 and a record low of 52.000 Person in 2017. Georgia Emigrants: Stateless data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Statistics Office of Georgia. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Georgia – Table GE.G002: Migration.

Data collated by UNHCR, containing information about forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons, spanning across more than 70 years of statistical activities. The data includes the countries / territories of asylum and origin. Specific resources are available for end-year population totals, demographics, asylum applications, decisions, and solutions availed by refugees and IDPs (resettlement, naturalisation or returns).

Data collated by UNHCR, containing information about forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons, spanning across more than 70 years of statistical activities. The data includes the countries / territories of asylum and origin. Specific resources are available for end-year population totals, demographics, asylum applications, decisions, and solutions availed by refugees and IDPs (resettlement, naturalisation or returns).

Data collated by UNHCR, containing information about forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons, spanning across more than 70 years of statistical activities. The data includes the countries / territories of asylum and origin. Specific resources are available for end-year population totals, demographics, asylum applications, decisions, and solutions availed by refugees and IDPs (resettlement, naturalisation or returns).

Year-by-year data about UNHCR's populations of concern originating from Cuba. Populations of concern include refugees, asylum seekers, internally-displaced people (IDPs), returned IDPs, returned refugees, stateless people, and others of concern.

Year-by-year data about UNHCR's populations of concern originating from Malta. Populations of concern include refugees, asylum seekers, internally-displaced people (IDPs), returned IDPs, returned refugees, stateless people, and others of concern.

Year-by-year data about UNHCR's populations of concern residing in Austria. Populations of concern include refugees, asylum seekers, internally-displaced people (IDPs), returned IDPs, returned refugees, stateless people, and others of concern.

Data collated by UNHCR, containing information about forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons, spanning across more than 70 years of statistical activities. The data includes the countries / territories of asylum and origin. Specific resources are available for end-year population totals, demographics, asylum applications, decisions, and solutions availed by refugees and IDPs (resettlement, naturalisation or returns).

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR data for forcibly displaced or stateless people between 2016 and 2021. Here is the link for the data set. After downloading it, I used the population.csv file.