Chapter 6
+ EXPLORE
THE DATA
+ By asylum
CHAPTER 6
Stateless people
4.4
MILLION
Are estimated to be stateless at end-2024 and
the true number is likely to be much higher.
47,200
Stateless people acquired citizenship in 2024,
nearly 50 per cent more than during the previous
two years.
Overview
An estimated 4.4 million stateless people were
reported globally at the end of 2024, a figure that is
largely unchanged from the previous year’s total. The
estimated total encompasses stateless people—those
not recognized as nationals by any country—and
persons with undetermined nationality, who lack
proof of nationality and have ties to multiple states
or are treated by the country of residence as having
potential claims to nationality elsewhere. This total
reflects reductions due to stateless people acquiring
citizenship and people of undetermined nationality
having their nationality confirmed during the year as
well as new or revised estimates for several countries.
Rohingya, originating from Myanmar’s Rakhine State,
represent the largest known stateless population
globally, totalling nearly 1.8 million. Rohingya
people have been subjected to institutionalized
UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2024
discrimination and race-based legal, policy and
practical barriers to citizenship for decades. They
have been faced with intense persecution since the
1970s, which escalated during the brutal military
crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in August
2017. As of the end of 2024, more than 1.1 million
Rohingya have been forced to flee abroad and of the
reported 619,400 Rohingya in Myanmar, 41 per cent
were internally displaced by the end of 2024.
Globally, 58 per cent of all reported stateless people
are in the Asia and the Pacific region (2.5 million).
Some 21 per cent are in West and Central Africa
(931,100), 10 per cent are in Europe and 8 per cent are
in the Middle East and North Africa. However, the vast
majority of reported stateless people reside in just a
few countries, with nearly 90 per cent of them in just
ten countries (see figure 22).
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