Millions Still Waiting for a Nationality as World Marks 65 Years of Statelessness Convention

Deep-rooted causes still create new cases of statelessness, including discriminatory nationality laws, gaps in legislation and arbitrary deprivation of citizenship.

Sixty-five years after the adoption of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, millions of people are still living without a nationality, facing barriers that can reach into nearly every part of ordinary life, from enrolling in school and visiting a doctor to finding legal employment, opening a bank account or simply proving who they are. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is using the anniversary to call for stronger political commitment from governments, arguing that statelessness can be prevented and resolved when nationality laws, documentation systems and government policies are designed to ensure that nobody is left without legal recognition.

At least 4.5 million people worldwide are officially known to be stateless or have an undetermined nationality, while the true figure is believed to be considerably higher because many affected communities remain missing from national records and official statistics. For a person without recognized nationality, the consequences are far more personal than a missing passport, since statelessness can make it difficult or impossible to register a child's birth, marry legally, own property, travel across borders, access health services or secure the documents needed to participate fully in society.

A nationality can determine whether everyday life remains within reach

International protections for stateless people developed around two major treaties that address different sides of the problem. The 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons created protections for people already living without nationality, while the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness introduced safeguards intended to stop new cases from emerging, particularly by protecting children from being born stateless and preventing the loss of nationality when that loss would leave someone without any citizenship.

The 1961 Convention now has 82 States Parties, with Slovenia, South Sudan and Sao Tome and Principe among the latest countries to join, yet UNHCR says treaty participation needs to be matched by practical changes that people can experience in their daily lives. Governments are being urged to provide routes to nationality for stateless populations, remove discriminatory nationality rules, strengthen safeguards for children, join the UN Statelessness Conventions and participate in the Global Alliance to End Statelessness, where countries and organizations can coordinate solutions.

Hundreds of thousands have gained nationality, showing solutions can work

Progress over the past decade shows that statelessness does not have to remain permanent. Since 2014, more than 650,000 stateless people have acquired or confirmed a nationality, while 94 countries have strengthened nationality laws to reduce the risk of people becoming stateless, demonstrating how changes in legislation and administrative procedures can transform lives when they are followed by accessible implementation.

Kyrgyzstan became the first country to resolve all known cases of statelessness within its territory in 2019, followed by Turkmenistan in 2024, while North Macedonia resolved all known cases linked to the breakup of the former Yugoslavia in 2025. Kenya granted nationality to thousands of people from the Makonde, Pemba and Shona minority communities between 2021 and 2023, and Thailand has enabled more than 120,000 stateless people to obtain nationality or permanent residence through accelerated procedures introduced in 2025.

Chile and the Philippines have strengthened legal safeguards designed to protect children from statelessness, while measures introduced in Syria have created a pathway to nationality for eligible members of Kurdish communities who spent decades facing uncertainty over their legal status. These examples show how reforms can move people from generations of exclusion toward recognized membership in the societies where they live.

Discrimination and new global pressures continue to put people at risk

Deep-rooted causes still create new cases of statelessness, including discriminatory nationality laws, gaps in legislation and arbitrary deprivation of citizenship. Women in 24 countries remain unable to pass their nationality to their children on the same basis as men, leaving some families exposed to intergenerational statelessness when children cannot obtain citizenship through their fathers.

Climate change is adding another layer of concern because disasters and displacement can destroy identity documents, separate people from administrative systems and make nationality claims harder to prove, while people who are already stateless may face even greater difficulty rebuilding their lives after emergencies.

Stateless people themselves are becoming increasingly important voices in finding solutions, with community-led organizations documenting barriers, supporting affected families and pressing governments for legal reforms shaped by lived experience. UNHCR works with these groups, governments and other partners on nationality legislation, birth registration, documentation and procedures that can help people establish or acquire citizenship.