Figure 3 below outlines the development in the number of stateless persons, broken down by categories of origin. As can be seen, the decrease in the overall number of stateless persons experienced from 2008 to 2011 was largely due to a reduction in the number of stateless descendants of immigrants, mainly as result of these persons acquiring citizenship. Likewise, the figure demonstrates that the significant increase during the following years was mainly driven by a rise in the number of stateless immigrants. As noted above, this increase is probably to be explained with the rising number of stateless asylum-seekers arriving from Syria coupled with the statelessness registration procedure that was introduced by the end of 2011. Figure 3: Origin of stateless persons (2008-2017) Immigrants Descendants 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2,635 2,674 2,718 2,736 3,002 3,506 4,223 5,355 6,546 7,218 844 788 499 333 213 254 329 410 462 561 8 5 5 5 5 4 6 6 5 5 3,487 3,467 3,222 3,074 3,220 3,764 4,558 5,771 7,013 7,784 Persons of Danish origin Total Source: Provided by SD upon a request (Quarterly Population Statistics (FOLK1) Recorded 3rd quarter of every year from 2008-2017) 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 ■ Immigrants ■ Descendants ■ Persons of Danish Origin Age distribution The age categories considered in this section are based on the various rules applicable in Denmark for the acquisition of nationality, in particular for stateless persons born in the country.69 Figure 4: Age distribution of stateless persons with residence permits in 2017 Stateless Unknown nationality 0-17 years 18-20 years 21+ years Total 2,274 344 5,166 7,784 12 0 46 58 Source: Provided by SD upon a request (Quarterly Population Statistics (FOLK1), recorded 3rd quarter of 2017) 69 20 See discussion, infra Section 4.2.1 Mapping Statelessness in Denmark