1. Reported Stateless Persons
Bangladesh has the largest population of stateless persons both in South Asia and in the Asia Pacific, reporting 952,309 persons to UNHCR in 2022. The reported population has steadily increased by about 10,000-50,000 persons each year.
2. Stateless Refugee
The entire reported stateless population in Bangladesh, of more than 950,000 persons, are stateless refugees. There has been an extensive focus on Rohingyas in Bangladesh by UN bodies, academics, and NGOs, specifically since the mass displacement which occurred in 2017. Most of the 950,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh reside within refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, facing limited access to health and social services, education, and living in conditions that have been condemned by residents, international organizations, and NGOs.
In June 2020, there were not enough isolation facilities in the overcrowded Cox’s Bazaar to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Around the same time, during COVID-19 lockdowns, Rohingya refugees headed for Bangladesh on a wooden boat were found stuck at sea by Malaysia. The Bangladeshi government announced that they would rescue those on the boat and quarantine them on the remote island of Bhashan Char in the Bay of Bengal, which has been described by experts as “not suitable for long-term human habitation”. As more numbers of Rohingya were quarantined.
On Bhashan Char, the island has evolved into a permanent alternative settlement for the Rohingya population in Bangladesh, despite major concerns expressed by both the Rohingyas and the international community. As of February 2022, an estimated 19,000 people had been relocated. In 2023, the population of Bhashan Char was estimated at 30,000 and counting.
3. Other Populations of Note
A population of note in Bangladesh is the Urdu-speaking (Bihari) community, who have resided in Bangladesh since independence. Historically, the Urdu-speaking community were stateless, with their status as Bangladeshi citizens denied due to perceived connections to Pakistan. Since the early 2000s, their citizenship status has been recognized, and community members have progressively been granted citizenship. However, the Urdu-speaking community, with a population size estimated to be 300,000, continues to face discrimination and marginalization, including through the denial of passports, physical isolation in refugee-like camps, and denial of services. In this sense, while the formal citizenship status of this population has been resolved, Urdu-speaking populations continue to be impacted by the legacies of statelessness.
Country | 2019 (year start) | 2020 (year end) | 2021 (year end) | 2022 (year end) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bangladesh | 854,704 | 866,457 | 918,841 | 952,309 |
Source: UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement from 2019-2022.