UNHCR STATISTICS TECHNICAL SERIES: 2019/1 In the current reporting environment, the combination of outdated and adjusted censuses result in difficulties for distinguishing between static and dynamic populations. Some countries provide adjusted figures based on nationality campaigns. Baseline figures in these cases may be outdated due to the long intercensal periods and are often not adjusted for demographic change. Government Surveys Compared to other government reporting methods, surveys among stateless populations conducted by countries are largely straightforward and comprise targeted initiatives that are limited in scope with regards to the timeframe and population of interest. They are thus similar to UNHCR surveys in nature. Two of the 78 reporting countries in 2018 reported government surveys. While one refers to an undetermined population established through an older campaign and adjusted across several years based on demographic projection, the other cites stateless persons who were not qualified for naturalization according to existing nationality laws. Other Government Reporting Techniques In 2018, 5 of 78 reporting countries cited figures from other techniques used by governments to estimate numbers of stateless persons. Derived from the Population Statistics Reference database, this designation encompasses figures corresponding to various methodologies reported to UNHCR by national authorities as “estimates”, and thus classified as such. They presently include two stateless populations, one de facto stateless population, one undetermined population, and one combination of de facto stateless and undetermined populations. However, some ambiguities persist regarding classification. Of reporting countries, some update estimates regularly while others do not. Specified techniques may include extrapolating from media reports, internal data, and government commissions. UNHCR’s reference databases do not provide additional details on extrapolation methodology as little elaboration on methodological techniques is readily available. Distinctions between “estimates” and unspecified figures can thus be uncertain. Similar as for UNHCR estimates, reporting gaps and incomplete information on historical usage is common, leading to difficulties for distinguishing methodological change and improvements from real population shifts. This is due to existing challenges for coordination and the tendency to defer to government estimates in political and institutional contexts where enumeration is difficult. This tendency is reflected in fragile and conflict situations where UNHCR often switches to government estimates after relying on NGO, nationality campaigns or own sources pre-conflict. Other figures point to conceptual inconsistencies and statistical under- as well as over-coverage for data reported through government estimates, for examples by using data only from detention facilities or including all persons who lack citizenship certificates. While the concept of legal identity and statelessness are overlapping, not all stateless persons are without legal identity and vice versa. This points to conceptual inconsistencies for undetermined populations, further exacerbated by inclusion of populations at risk of statelessness in addition to ambiguous and out-of-date figures. Unspecified Government Sources and Statelessness Determination Procedures While described as “various/other”, this category is largely unspecified and serves as a miscellaneous group containing an array of sources and methodologies. This category is very similar to “government estimates”, but contains estimates with fewer methodological details in addition to statelessness determination procedures. Under this classification, UNHCR’s Population Statistics Reference database includes estimates of undetermined 7 UNHCR / October, 2019