Statelessness is a global problem, leaving millions of people around the world without a nationality. At least 4.4 million are stateless according to the UNHCR. Statelessness denies the right to nationality, limiting access to basic services and economic opportunities (Mohammed et al. 2024), with many children inheriting statelessness from their parents.
In 2014 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched a Global Action Plan (UNHCR 2014) to end statelessness. The global action plan consists of 11 priority actions. Action 10 emphasizes the importance of improving quantitative and qualitative data on stateless populations. This underscores the critical role that statistics play in addressing and ultimately ending statelessness. Many countries lack comprehensive statistics on statelessness and there are several challenges related to identifying the entire population.
The complex reality of mapping statelessness was experienced by our colleagues from Statistics Norway, Helge Brunborg and Sadiq Kwesi Boateng, when working with UNHCR on statelessness in Kenya in 2016. Their work involved mapping stateless persons from various origins, identifying reasons behind statelessness and understanding the challenges faced by stateless individuals. Their work also involved policy recommendation for the issuance of the documentation that is required for those who apply for citizenship by registration. Brunborg and Boateng, in collaboration with UNHCR Kenya and the Kenyan Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), conducted surveys of two groups of stateless people in Kenya (Brunborg 2024), namely the Shona and Pemba community. Although facing the same socio-economic challenges following statelessness, findings from these different pilot studies gave important insight into the complexity of statelessness measurement. One of the pilot surveys (Boateng, Brunborg and Munaita 2020) revealed that some stateless populations were not willing to participate in data collection activities. Thus, different living conditions and experiences among the stateless affected the outcome of the survey. This led to very important revisions in the questionnaires used for the Kenyan Population and Housing Census 2019.
Success Story
In December 2020 a life changing decision was made by the Kenyan government: The Shona of Kenya, originally descendants from Zimbabwe, and people of Rwandan descent were recognized as citizens, and it became easier for stateless persons to get citizenship (Brunborg 2024). The data collected during the surveys was the main advocacy tool (SSB 2020).
In December 2024, UNHCR published a report titled "The Transformative Power of Citizenship," highlighting the findings from the socioeconomic study of the Shona community in Kenya (Mohammed et al. 2024). The report concluded that acquiring Kenyan citizenship has improved the socioeconomic conditions of the Shona community, enabling them to access essential services, economic opportunities, and social benefits.
The need for an international framework
In mapping statelessness, the lack of common standards and definitions have led to differences in statistics produced by different countries. Since the establishment of an expert group on refugee, IDP and statelessness statistics (EGRISS), Norway has contributed to the work on developing international framework on these statistics. The pilot activities on mapping statelessness in Kenya gave significant contributions to the process of developing recommendations on measuring statelessness: “During the fifty-first session of the Statistical Commission in 2020, several delegations acknowledged the need to develop standards on statelessness statistics and expressed their support for the proposals presented by Kenya to further develop the international recommendations on statelessness statistics”. (IROSS 2023).
Through a collaborative process between experts on both country and organizational level, EGRISS has developed the International Recommendations on Statelessness Statistics (IROSS). The IROSS presents a comprehensive set of recommendations for how countries should produce statistics on statelessness. Data collected under the IROSS guidelines supports evidence-based policymaking. Beyond Kenya, recent case studies from South Africa, Thailand, and the Philippines demonstrate that implementing IROSS guidelines results in more accurate and comprehensive statistics, which are actively used to inform policy decisions and support stateless populations (EGRISS).
Transforming lives with statistics
The story from Kenya illustrates how statistics can play a role in supporting change. What began as a technical exercise in data collection led to a political process that resulted in real improvements in the rights and lives of many people. By shedding light on the realities of stateless populations, statistics not only informed policy but helped restore identity and belonging to thousands. As efforts to address statelessness continue, Kenya's example stands as an example of the potential good use of statistics, that also other countries can benefit from.
References:
UNHCR [United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees] (2014): Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2014-2024, http://www.unhcr.org/protection/statelessness/54621bf49/global-action-plan-end-statelessness-2014-2024.html?query=global
Mohammed Masudur Rahman, Jedediah Rooney Fix, Sigrid Weber, and Precious Zikhali (2024) "The Transformative Power of Citizenship: Findings from the 2024 Socioeconomic Study of the Shona Community in Kenya." Nairobi: UNHCR, December 2024, (PDF) The Transformative Power of Citizenship: Findings from the 2024 Socioeconomic Study of the Shona Community in Kenya
Boateng, SK, H Brunborg and WL Munaita (2020): “Measuring statelessness in Kenya: A Study of the Pemba.” Report not yet published by UNHCR
Brunborg (2024) – "International Statistics on Statelessness" – Article published on SSB.no, May 6, 2024: International Statistics on Statelessness – SSB, International statistics on statelessness – SSB
SSB 2020 – Annual Report 2020, Annual Report 2020. International development cooperation in Statistics Norway - SSB
IROSS (2023) “International Recommendations on Statelessness Statistics”, International Recommendations on Statelessness Statistics IROSS
EGRISS Country case studies Country case studies - EGRISS
