UNHCR insists that the problem of statelessness is largely avoidable, and with adequate political will, entirely solvable too. A major hurdle to solutions is that governments and UNHCR lack adequate data on many stateless populations. Frequently stateless persons are not only undocumented but also ignored by the authorities and uncounted in national administrative registries and databases.

This Special Report focuses on the past, present, and future of statelessness in Europe. It also strives to present a clear picture of what it means to be stateless, i.e. the impact this can have on one’s quality of life, future, and access to basic services and amenities.