Experts from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Central Asia reported that the number of stateless individuals in the post-Soviet republics of this region has decreased sevenfold over the past decade. The statistics were shared at a briefing in Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, Russian state-run news agency TASS reported on November 6.
In 2014, when the global "IBelong" campaign began, there were 252,200 stateless individuals in Central Asia. As of October 30 of this year, this figure has dropped to 34,200.
Uzbekistan reportedly has the highest number of unresolved cases, with 22,400 stateless people, followed by Kazakhstan with 7,400.
UNHCR representatives visited Tajikistan late last month to assess the local situation, reporting that, as of mid-2024, there were 3,600 stateless people in the country, most of whom are former Soviet citizens or their descendants who did not obtain citizenship in newly independent states.
The UN noted that stateless status limits access to basic rights and services, including education, healthcare, and employment. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan have fully eradicated statelessness. According to a UNHCR report, Kyrgyzstan became the first country in the world to eliminate statelessness in 2019. In October this year, Turkmen authorities were similarly recognized for resolving all known cases of statelessness, having granted citizenship to more than 32,000 people over recent years.
