FRONTIERS RIGHTS SEEKING NATIONALITY THE JUDICIAL ODYSSEY OF APPLICANTS Marital Status Stateless individuals who are single and who have never been married constitute the largest proportion compared to those who are or have been married. The vast majority of stateless persons belongs to the Sunni sect followed by the Shi’ites and Alawites. Christian communities constitute a relatively small percentage followed by the Druze. Sectarian Affiliation The vast majority of stateless persons belongs to the Sunni sect followed by the Shi’ites and Alawites. Christian communities constitute a relatively small percentage followed by the Druze. Table 6 Distribution by Marital Status Marital Status Table 4 Sectarian Distribution Number Percentage Single 2429 77.31% Married 671 21.36% Sect Number Percentage Sunni 2253 71.71% Widow/Divorced 32 1.02% Shi’ite and Alawite 324 10.31% No answer 10 0.32% Christian 104 3.33% Total 3124 100% Druze 46 1.46% No answer 415 13.21% 3142 100% Nationality of the Spouse The majority of the stateless individuals who are or have been married (703 individuals) have spouses who hold an original Lebanese nationality or who became Lebanese by naturalization, and around. The sectarian distribution reflects what has been elaborated regarding the prevalence of historical reasons on the factors causing statelessness in Lebanon. As shown earlier, the highest concentration of stateless individuals lies in the Northern and Eastern borders where Sunni communities are predominant and are known to have not acquired the nationality (because most were nomadic tribes). Age Group It has been noticed that the proportion of adults who are stateless exceeds the proportion of minors by more than two-thirds, and that the youth (18-30 years) constitute the largest proportion. If we add all individuals from the age of one year to the age of thirty years, they will constitute 74%. This shows that the phenomenon of statelessness persists from generation to generation and has exacerbated during the last three decades. Table 7 Distribution by Marital Status Nationality of the Spouse Table 5 Distribution by Age Group Age Group Number Percentage Lebanese 370 52.63% Stateless 186 25.03% Syrian 63 8.96% Naturalized Lebanese 59 8.39% No answer 16 2.27% Another (foreign) nationality 10 1.42% Under-study (Qayd adDars) 7 0.99% 2 0.31% 703 100% Number Percentage From 1 – 5 years 125 3.98% From 6 – 10 years 449 14.29% From 11 – 17 years 623 19.83% From 18 – 30 years 1119 35.61% From 31 – 45 years 557 17.73% Palestinian From 46 – 60 years 215 6.84% Total Above 60 years 54 1.72% No answer 125 3.98% 3142 100% Total SEEKING NATIONALITY | PART 1 Total 26