How countries compare
All countries in the Index have at least some provisions in law to prevent and reduce statelessness. There is near universal protection for foundlings and adopted children across the countries covered (except in Cyprus where there is no foundlings provision). Gaps here relate to whether and how nationality acquired by a foundling may later be lost, or to age limits restricting provisions to new-borns. Safeguards for children born on the territory, however, are more mixed. Several countries still do not protect all children born on their territory from statelessness, by for example, making the child’s right to nationality dependent on the parents’ status or legal residence. In some cases, provisions are not automatic, requiring additional registration or proof of statelessness, and presenting practical barriers. There are also legal and practical barriers in some countries to universal birth registration and no country has a comprehensive framework in place to determine whether a child born on the territory acquires a nationality as soon as possible after birth. A number of countries still have gaps in safeguards to prevent statelessness in cases of loss and deprivation of nationality.
