1. Reported Stateless Persons
Thailand has the second largest stateless population in Southeast Asia, reporting 574,219 stateless persons to UNHCR in 2022. This figure includes 573,900 stateless persons reported by the Royal Thai Government who are registered in the national civil registration system as well as 321 stateless Rohingya refugees counted by UNHCR. This notably does not include those groups whose births have not been registered. There has been extensive focus from UN agencies, the Thai government and academics on the situation of statelessness in Thailand. Statelessness in Thailand largely affects ethnic minority groups (‘Hill Tribe’ populations) in northern Thailand, specifically near the Thai- Myanmar border. In 2021, it was estimated that 81% of the stateless population in Thailand resides in border areas.
Over the past decade, the Thai government has worked in partnership with UNHCR and NGOs to both expand the rights of non-citizens and to identify and provide access to citizenship for those children entitled to it. Between October 2020 and September 2021, 2,740 stateless persons were granted citizenship. Because of the exemplary work of the Thai government in identifying stateless persons, the figures of statelessness in Thailand have increased in the last five years from 443,862 in 2015 to 574,219 in 2022. There was a significant spike in the population between 2020 and 2021, increasing by a total of 80,832 stateless persons in just one year.
In a recent qualitative study on the experiences of stateless persons in Thailand, four types of perceived stigma were identified, including difficulty requesting that their needs be met, being unequal to others, being ineligible for healthcare services, and “being ranked below other hill tribe people who have IDs”. The study noted that “the phrase ‘life is nothing’ was presented by the participants, who reported that they felt like an invisible population in Thailand”. Participants of the study reported that they felt they experience less stigma if they do not leave their village, if they have a Thai ID, and if they can speak the Thai language, with having a Thai ID being perceived as of the utmost importance in avoiding stigma.
2. Persons at Risk of Statelessness
Children of migrant workers, including ethnic Shan from Myanmar risk statelessness due to low levels of birth registration and exclusion from the mainstream campaigns run by the government of Thailand to identify and register stateless populations. Children born to stateless parents as well as foundlings may also be at risk due to gaps in protective legislation.
3. Stateless Refugee
In 2022, Thailand reported 321 stateless refugees, all of whom were Rohingya from Myanmar. It is estimated that there are additionally 3,000 long-term Rohingya refugees who have resided in Thailand for more than two decades. Rohingya and other Muslim groups with historic ties to Myanmar, including populations who have lived along the Thai-Myanmar border for generations have been excluded from government programs to identify stateless persons and provide access to citizenship.
Country | 2019 (year start) | 2020 (year end) | 2021 (year end) | 2022 (year end) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Thailand | 475,009 | 480,695 | 561,527 | 574,219 |
Source: UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement from 2019-2022.