1. Reported Stateless Persons
In recent UNHCR Global Trends reports, Cambodia reported 75,000 stateless persons in both 2021 and 2022. This is a 17,000 person increase from the 57,444 reported stateless persons in both 2019 and 2020. The majority of this population are ethnic Vietnamese long- term residents. With a wide range of differing estimates for the stateless population in Cambodia, data in the country is unreliable.
While the Cambodian government has since 2019 reported stateless persons to UNHCR (with the reported population increasing from 57,444 in 2019 to 75,000 in 2021 and 2022), the true size of the population of ethnic Vietnamese in Cambodia without citizenship has been estimated by CSOs to be as high as between 400,000- 700,000 persons. The complex history of colonization, war and tensions between Vietnam and Cambodia has led to ethnic Vietnamese residents in Cambodia facing discrimination, social exclusion and denial of citizenship, despite many being entitled to nationality under the letter of the law. Largely due to the French colonial period which influenced Cambodia’s early formation of the concept of nationality based on “cultural identity, historical heritage and religion”, ethnic Vietnamese communities in Cambodia were left with neither Cambodian nor Vietnamese nationality. Today, much of the population is either stateless (especially for long- term residents who have resided in Cambodia since before 1975 when the Khmer Rouge regime took over and mass deportations and migrations occurred) or at risk of statelessness. Ethnic Vietnamese constitute the largest ethnic minority in Cambodia and experience a severe lack of access to birth registration. The ethnic Vietnamese population in Cambodia constitutes a variety of groups, including ethnic Vietnamese married to Cambodians, Cambodians of Vietnamese origin, recent immigrants from Vietnam to Cambodia and descendants of ethnic Vietnamese with intergenerational links to Cambodia. Ethnic Vietnamese with intergenerational links to Cambodia are particularly at risk of denial of identity documentation and Khmer citizenship. While some of this population has gained identity documentation and been ‘integrated’ into society, a large number of ethnic Vietnamese living in Cambodia remain unregistered and reside within floating villages on the Tonle Sap Lake. A study in 2016 found that of 414 Vietnamese surveyed in three provinces, only 5% had a birth certificate. Other studies have estimated that 90% of the ethnic Vietnamese population in Kampong- Chhnang province do not have a birth certificate and/or identity card.
| Country | 2019 (year start) | 2020 (year end) | 2021 (year end) | 2022 (year end) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambodia | 57,444 | 57,444 | 75,000 | 75,000 |
Source: UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement from 2019-2022.
2. Persons at Risk of Statelessness
Members of the Khmer Krom ethnic group – ethnic Khmer originating from Southern Vietnam – in particular also face barriers to obtaining birth registration for children and identity documents for adults, with both the CRC and CEDAW calling on the government of Cambodia to address the barriers that they face. There have been reports of authorities delaying the processing of applications for citizenship coming from members of this community as well as “incidents of restrictions by local authorities on the rights of freedom of expression and association”.
