Chapter 6
Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics
of stateless populations
Data availability for stateless populations is
scarce in most countries when it comes to
disaggregation by demographic characteristics.
In 2019, sex-disaggregated data was available
for 28 of the 76 countries reporting on stateless
populations, covering 73 per cent of the reported
stateless population. According to available data,
51 per cent of the stateless population in 2019
were women, and 48 per cent were children.
Demographically disaggregated data was most
available in the West and Central Africa and the
Asia-Pacific regions. Stateless Rohingya refugees
hosted in Bangladesh make up the majority
of the stateless population in the Asia-Pacific
region, and there is solid demographic coverage
available about them because they are individually
registered as refugees in UNHCR’s case
management system (proGres). This is not the
case for Rohingya remaining in Myanmar for whom
the availability of demographic data is very low.
age- and sex-disaggregation of data on close
to one million stateless persons and are an
important step in improving the evidence base
on statelessness in the region. Figure 29 shows
the demographic profile of displaced stateless
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and of nondisplaced stateless persons in Côte d’Ivoire.
Fifty-six per cent of Rohingya in Bangladesh
are children under the age of 18, considerably
more than in the general population in Myanmar,
their country of origin, where 31 per cent are
underage. Women constitute 52 per cent of
displaced stateless Rohingya in Bangladesh.
While the stateless population in Côte d’Ivoire
has slightly more women than men overall, with
53 per cent being female, this imbalance is very
distinct for adult age groups from 18 to 59 as
visible from the demographic profile. Qualitative
evidence suggests that proportionally fewer girls
are enrolled in school and registered at birth
compared to boys. This lack of documentation can
persist into adulthood and significantly impede
access to citizenship for women. Children make up
54 per cent of stateless persons in Côte d’Ivoire,
slightly higher than in the general population with
48 per cent.
The results from the study on statelessness
in Côte d’Ivoire mentioned above allow for
Figure 29 | Demographic profile of stateless Rohingya refugees displaced in Bangladesh
and stateless persons in Côte d’Ivoire
ROHINGYA IN BANGLADESH
STATELESS PERSONS IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE
60+
2%
2%
60+
50-59
2%
2%
50-59
5%
25-49
5%
9%
18-24
6%
10%
12-17
5%
25-49
10%
18-24
7%
12-17
7%
12%
9%
7%
2%
2%
5-11
11%
10%
5-11
11%
0-4
10%
9%
0-4
13%
5%
9%
12%
Male
60
6%
Female
UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2019