seekers<sup>.81</sup> There are several challenges associated with using central population registers to estimate refugee and asylum-seeker populations, including: consistency of the definition of refugees with the definition in the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol; difficulty and cost of establishing and maintaining a population register (UNSD 2014); and confidentiality safeguards.

# **Compilation of statistics on forcibly displaced populations**

Several international organizations are involved in the compilation, analysis and dissemination of statistics on forced displacement including UNHCR,<sup>82</sup> Eurostat, IDMC, OCHA, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),<sup>83</sup> WFP<sup>84</sup> and IOM. Each of these actors has their own thematic focus and specific objectives, and applies their own methodologies.

# **_Asylum-seekers and refugees_**

UNHCR is the principal organization responsible for the compilation, analysis and dissemination of data on asylum-seekers and refugees. UNHCR maintains a publicly available statistical online database<sup>85</sup> with data for the period 1951-2014 on refugees (including people in refugee-like situations), asylum-seekers (pending cases), returned refugees, IDPs protected or assisted by UNHCR, returned IDPs previously protected or assisted by UNHCR, stateless persons and others of concern to UNHCR, disaggregated by country of origin and asylum.<sup>86</sup> Data are also provided on demographics, location, asylum-seekers (refugee status determination and monthly data) and resettlement. UNHCR regularly publishes statistical reports, including “ _Global Trends”_ , “ _Mid-Year Trends_ ”, _“Asylum Trends_ ” and “ _Statistical Yearbook”_ . Additionally, UNHCR hosts interagency information sharing portals for significant emergencies.<sup>87</sup> These portals provide data on populations of concern at regional and country levels, including time series data, demographics, location and accommodation information.<sup>88</sup> Eurostat compiles and publishes data on asylum (applications and decisions) and managed migration in European Union member countries. Countries and national and international NGOs also publish these statistics, based on sources of various completeness, quality and timeliness (UNSD 2014). There are sometimes substantial inconsistencies between the numbers published by different organizations for the same country, including high-income countries with good statistical systems, usually due to differences in definitions, times and statistical methods, including the mixing of data on flows and stocks (UNSD 2014).

There are several challenges associated with the compilation of data on asylum-seekers and refugees. Significant among these are: (a) the lack of capacity of national statistical agencies in many developing countries to collect robust data on refugees; (b) weak or incomplete monitoring of refugees dispersed within host communities; (c) lack of capacity to maintain up to date information on refugees (reflecting new arrivals,

> 81 General population registers may also provide opportunities for more elaborate analysis of the integration of refugees in asylum countries, as the data could be linked to other administrative registers, for example on labor and education (UNSD 2014).

> 82 UNHCR collects, compiles and publishes data on asylum-seekers, refugees and IDPs protected or assisted by UNHCR, including populations in refugee-like or IDP-like situations.

83 Established in 1863, the ICRC’s mission is to ensure humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. ICRC’s work is based on the Geneva Conventions of 1949, their Additional Protocols, its Statutes—and those of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement—and the resolutions of the International Conferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

84 WFP is the food assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.

85 See: popstats.unhcr.org.

86 IDP data are only included from 1998 onwards.

> 87 See: <u>http://data.unhcr.org. Currently the Burundi situation, Yemen (regional refugee and migrant response plan),</u> DRC regional refugee response, Mediterranean (refugees/migrants emergency response), CAR, Côte d’Ivoire, Syria Emergency, Sahel Emergency, South Sudan Situation, Horn of Africa Emergency, and the Liberia Portal.

88 IOM’s new Global Migration Data Analysis Centre provides limited data on global migration trends such as data on asylum application in Europe and selected countries (including demographics, country of origin, and country of asylum).