France In 2018, OFPRA received 420 applications for statelessness status.38 40.7 percent of the applications was submitted by people from Africa, 23.8 percent by people from the Asian continent and 34.8 percent from European countries. 31.4 percent were submitted by Saharawi people and 11 percent by Bidouns from Kuwait. 13 percent were submitted by former Soviet citizens. Only three applications were submitted by persons born in the Americas (0.7 percent). OFPRA made 327 decisions, of which 71 resulted in a finding of statelessness. In addition, 122 adults were recognized as stateless refugees; the slight increase in number from 2017 is linked to the situation of Palestinian and Kurdish communities in Syria. 38 OFPRA, A l’écoute du monde, Rapport d’activité 2018, page 26, available at: https://www.ofpra.gouv.fr/sites/default/ files/atoms/files/ofpra_ra_2018_web_pages_hd.pdf U N H C R > G P P AC T I O N 6 : E S TA B L I S H I N G S TAT E L E S S N E S S D E T E R M I N AT I O N P R O C E D U R E S 27