1. Reported Stateless Persons
Laos has not reported any statistics of stateless persons living within its territory to UNHCR.
2. Persons at Risk of Statelessness
There are over 500,000 persons of Hmong ethnicity living in Laos. The Hmong ethnic group face continual discrimination (including the denial of passports) and have low birth-registration rates, placing them at risk of statelessness. In 2009, around 4,000 Hmong people from Thailand were forcibly returned to Laos. While UNHCR has requested access to this population, the Laos government has yet to provide it, aside from a government-escorted visit to one returnee site. Information on the condition and treatment of this population remains limited.
3. Undetermined Nationalities
While no detailed breakdown is available of persons with undetermined nationality in Laos, the most recent Population Census held in 2015 recorded 375 foreigners in Laos whose citizenship was unknown.
