Stateless Persons
Around 4.4 million stateless or undetermined-nationality people were reported to UNHCR across 101 countries by the end of 2024. Because roughly half of all countries report no data, the real total is widely estimated to be far higher. Statelessness denies people a legal identity and access to basic rights, with the Rohingya the single largest affected group.
Key Statelessness Insights
Reported, not real, total
UNHCR counted about 4.4 million stateless or undetermined-nationality people across 101 countries at end-2024. Because around half of all countries report no figures, the true global total is widely cited as substantially higher.
Concentrated in a few countries
Bangladesh (about 1,005,520), Cote d'Ivoire (about 930,978), Myanmar (about 619,429) and Thailand (about 612,524) hold the largest reported stateless populations, together accounting for the bulk of the known total.
Rohingya are the largest group
Roughly two in five reported stateless people are Rohingya. Nearly 1.8 million Rohingya are stateless globally, denied citizenship under Myanmar's 1982 law and displaced across the region.
A decade of slow gains
Between 2014 and 2024 the #IBelong campaign helped 613,100 stateless people acquire a nationality, and the number of countries reporting data rose from 77 to 101.
Largest Reported Stateless Populations by Country
Countries with the most stateless or undetermined-nationality people reported to UNHCR (end-2024).
Key Finding: Bangladesh (~1.01M), Cote d'Ivoire (~0.93M), Myanmar (~0.62M) and Thailand (~0.61M) hold the largest reported stateless populations.
Countries Reporting Statelessness Data
Number of countries submitting statelessness data to UNHCR over the #IBelong decade.
Key Finding: Reporting countries rose from 77 in 2014 to 101 in 2024, giving a fuller — though still incomplete — global picture.
Reported Stateless Population Over Time
Stateless and undetermined-nationality people known to UNHCR, in millions.
Key Finding: The reported figure has hovered around 4.4 million since 2022, but undercounting means the real total is far higher.
Main Causes of Statelessness
Illustrative breakdown of the principal drivers and risk factors behind statelessness.
Key Finding: Discrimination and gaps or conflicts in nationality laws are the leading causes, with at least 24 countries still denying women equal rights to pass on nationality.
Stateless People Who Gained a Nationality
Stateless or undetermined-nationality people who acquired or confirmed a nationality during the #IBelong decade.
Key Finding: 613,100 stateless people gained a nationality between 2014 and 2024 — progress, but a fraction of the global total.
Understanding Statelessness Data
What statelessness means
A stateless person is someone who is not considered a national by any state under the operation of its law, as defined by the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons. UNHCR also tracks people of undetermined nationality, who lack proof of any nationality. Without citizenship, people can be denied schooling, healthcare, lawful work, property, travel documents and the right to vote.
Why the reported figure undercounts
UNHCR reported about 4.4 million stateless or undetermined-nationality people across 101 countries at end-2024, but roughly half of all countries report no data at all. Many stateless people are invisible in national statistics precisely because they lack documents, so the true global total is widely believed to be considerably higher. The number of reporting countries grew from 77 in 2014 to 101 in 2024, which improves coverage but also makes year-to-year comparisons imperfect.
Main causes
Statelessness arises from discrimination against ethnic, racial or religious minorities (as with the Rohingya in Myanmar), gaps and conflicts between nationality laws, gender-discriminatory laws — at least 24 countries do not let mothers pass nationality to their children on an equal basis — and state succession when countries break up or new ones emerge. Missing birth registration and documentation compound the risk.
Caveats
Figures are reported totals, not estimates of the full stateless population, and definitions and reporting capacity vary by country. Some large stateless groups are counted within refugee or displacement figures, and roughly 1.3 million stateless people are also forcibly displaced. Numbers shown reflect UNHCR's most recent Global Trends reporting and may be revised as data improves.