The Causes of Statelessness Statelessness can be caused by a number of factors such as: Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, language or gender; conflict or gaps in nationality laws; loss, deprivation or renunciation of nationality; or procedural barriers in civil registration systems. Statelessness is a man-made problem and occurs because of a wide range of causes. Entire swathes of a population may become stateless overnight due to political or legal directives or the redrawing of state boundaries. Families endure generations of statelessness despite having deeprooted and longstanding ties to their communities and countries.