1. FAVOURABLE PROTECTION ENVIRONMENT 1.1 Demographic profile The population of stateless persons and persons at risk of statelessness in the Kyrgyz Republic is not localized but rather is scattered around the country. This population has various demographic and socio-economic profiles, and different causes and durations of statelessness or the risk thereof. According to figures provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic to UNHCR, there are more than 23,500 people (as of 1st January 2009) in Kyrgyz Republic whose nationality is undetermined or whose nationality has not been properly documented and these individuals are therefore at risk of statelessness. The national population census undertaken in March/April 2009 attempted to collect data on the stateless population in the country. Information gathered during the census is now being processed and should be published in 2010. It is however not clear how accurate the information on stateless persons is, as it is entirely dependent on whether participants identified and declared themselves (or their family members) as stateless. There is a small group of about 100 individuals that have been officially documented by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and therefore hold residence permits for stateless persons. Although precise statistics have yet to be gathered and full scale statelessness identification strategies and activities have yet to be implemented by the government, the surveys conducted in the Northern and Southern provinces of the country give an approximate idea of current demographic and socio-economic indicators of statelessness in the country. Demographic breakdown between Northern and Southern Kyrgyz: Out of 11,655 individuals identified by the Southern Survey 57 percent were female (6629) and 43 percent were male (5026). 4.5 percent were male (278) and 3.3 percent were female (244) of those that were 60 years or older. 34 percent were males (1,722) and 64 percent were female (3,324), between the ages of 18 and 59. Boys and girls between 12 and 17 comprised of 13.8 percent were boys (701) and 10.2 percent of girls (677). Of those between 5 and 11, 26.4 percent (1,327 boys) and 22.1 percent (1,471 girls). Finally, 19.8 percent (998 boys) and 13.7 percent (913 girls), were younger than five years old. Among survey respondents and their family members in the North, around 3.7 percent were 60 years of age or older. 41-59 year olds constituted around 15 percent of respondents, 19-40 year olds 40 percent. Children aged 7-18 represent around 23 percent and those aged 0-6 12 percent. A similar breakdown was unavailable for respondents in the South. The population is multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious. Most individuals whose nationality is not established or documented are Kyrgyz (over 50 percent in the North and South), Uzbek (approximately 45 percent in the South and four percent in the North) or Tajik (approximately 10 percent in the North and three percent in the South). There are also individuals from other CIS ethnicities including Ukrainian, Russian, Belarus, Kazakh, Azeri, Turkmen, Tatar and Chechen, as well as Chinese, Uyghur, Kurd and German, who, in aggregate, represent less than 10 percent of the population identified as stateless or at risk of statelessness. 51 Small Changes ‫ ـ‬Big Gains: An Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Statelessness in the Kyrgyz Republic