Population figures
Total country population
18,221,567
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
11,837
Asylum-seekers:
990
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
0
Other people in need of international protection:
0
Other
Statelessness persons
0
Host community
0
Others of concern to UNHCR
0
Country context
Senegal is located on the westernmost bulge of the African continent, bordered by Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Refugees and asylum seekers in Senegal originate mainly from the subregion—including Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and the Central African Republic. They reside predominantly in urban areas such as Dakar and in reception facilities near border towns.
Domestic asylum protection was first codified in 1968 by Law No. 68-27 of 5 August 1968, which applied the definitions of the 1951 Refugee Convention and Protocol and established a refugee-status commission, though it lacked an independent appeals mechanism and did not address statelessness. Decrees in 1978 and 1989 refined the commission’s composition and procedures, but substantive reform began only in 2022 with adoption of Law No. 2022-01 of 14 April 2022 on the status of refugees and stateless persons, extending the refugee framework to cover stateless persons and instituting procedural safeguards for both groups. This law represents a positive advancement by embedding statelessness determination into domestic legislation for the first time, while maintaining the established refugee-status pathways. The implementation decrees for the Law are undergoing review, with UNHCR support.
...Asylum claims are adjudicated by the national eligibility commission and the appeals committee; although challenges remain to access the asylum system, as claims can only be registered in the capital city. While legislation ensures access to basic rights and services, challenges persist, particularly regarding the timely issuance and recognition of refugee cards.
Stateless persons were not formally recognised until the 2022 law introduced dedicated provisions for their identification and documentation, addressing gaps left by earlier legislation. Prior to 2022, individuals without nationality were managed as foreign residents, often holding temporary identity papers under general immigration rules. The new statute now provides for issuance of status certificates and travel documents to confirmed stateless persons.
No specific statute addresses internal displacement as Senegal has not ratified the Kampala Convention. Movements caused by coastal erosion, seasonal flooding or development projects are managed under general civil-law and emergency-regulation frameworks without a distinct legal category for internally displaced persons.
In terms of durable solutions, the authorities continued to pursue their efforts to secure solutions for the 12,000 Mauritanian refugees, in a protracted situation. In 2024, the Government issued a decree for the naturalization of 313 Mauritanian refugees, and initiatives to streamline and simplify the naturalization process continue. As well the Government initiated in 2025 a comprehensive national plan to bring about durable solutions for forcibly displaced persons due to the long-standing conflict in Casamance.
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