The 2015 methodology used to determine the number of persons at risk of statelessness first was based on three indicators: persons without birth registration; persons without confirmed citizenship; and persons 16+ without valid personal identity cards. Using this methodology, the 2015 Survey identified 2,700 persons at risk of statelessness. The number of those at risk of statelessness in this highly distinct population of informal settlements has fallen by slightly more than 1,100 - a significant improvement of 42 percent relative to 2015. Of the total of 9,218 persons who made up the sample, 2.9 percent were at risk of statelessness. Extrapolating the percentage from the representative sample to the estimated population of informal settlements (56,276 persons) reveals that some 1,576 members of this community are at risk. The design of the 2020 Survey added a new dimension, persons without a registered permanent or temporary residence, currently estimated at 2,027 in Serbia. Risk of statelessness is appreciably greater amongst: • • • • • • RAE population of Belgrade. Persons born in Kosovo and Metohija or elsewhere abroad are more likely to be at risk. Unlike members of the community not at risk of statelessness, virtually all of whom hold Serbian citizenship, as few as 82 percent of those at risk of statelessness are Serbian nationals. One in four households (27 percent) that include persons at risk of statelessness are able to secure food for themselves, whilst only one in five (21 percent) can obtain personal hygiene products for their members. Men are more likely than women to be at risk of statelessness, with the proportion standing at 72 percent of men vs 28 percent of women. Persons at risk of statelessness generally live in purpose-made settlements / huts / container housing units / slums. Lack of personal identity documents amongst RAE population at risk of statelessness: • • • • A total of 0.45 percent of RAE individuals living in informal settlements lacked birth registration (in 2010 this figure was 1.8 percent, and in 2015 1 percent). A total of 0.49 percent of RAE individuals living in informal settlements had no record of citizenship. The survey found that 57 percent of persons at risk of statelessness had no registered permanent or temporary residence. This round of the survey found that 6.6 percent of the respondents lived in households where one or multiple members over 16 years of age had no personal identity documents (be that they expired or are still valid), which was 1.8 percent of the total number of RAE individuals surveyed. Reasons for lack of personal identity documents: • The respondents reported a number of reasons for lacking birth registration, of which the common were ignorance of the procedure and lack of evidence required for registration (these two responses were given by 28 percent of the respondents). PERSONS AT RISK OF STATELESSNESS IN SERBIA OVERVIEW OF CURRENT SITUATION AND THE WAY FORWARD 7