Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
92
2016, over 4,000 Yemenis were registered with UNHCR in Jordan.149 However, migration
flows from Yemen to Jordan prior to the war mean that there is also a large population of
Yemenis who have not registered with UNHCR and likely were already living in Jordan—
although many would likely qualify as refugees sur place were they to register with UNHCR.
The 2015 census found a total of 31,000 Yemeni nationals in Jordan, most in Amman.150
Figure 13: Top ten countries of origin of forced migrants residing in Jordan, 2015
Source: UNHCR, “Population Statistics,” accessed August 9, 2016,
and UNRWA, “Where We Work: Jordan,” accessed June 9,
2016
Note: Forced migrants is defined in this figure as refugees and asylum seekers residing in Jordan as of 2015. It
should be noted that some forced migrants in Jordan were formerly stateless (301 total) and therefore do not
have a country of origin.
The Sudanese and Somali refugee communities are much smaller. As of May 2016, 3,000
Sudanese refugees were registered with UNHCR.151 Most Sudanese and Somali refugees have
arrived within the last five years. As of May 2016, nearly 800 Somali nationals are registered
with UNHCR in Jordan.152 Sudanese and Somali refugees are believed to primarily have taken
up residence in Amman.153
149 UNHCR, “Jordan: UNHCR Operational Update May 2015,” updated May 2016,
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150 Department of Statistics, Jordan 2015 Census.
151 UNHCR, “Jordan: UNHCR Operational Update May 2015”
152 UNHCR, “Jordan: UNHCR Operational Update May 2015”
153 Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development, Putting Needs over Nationality: Meeting the Needs of Somalia and
Sudanese Refugees During the Syrian Crisis, (Amman: Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development, 2015)