At least 21,807 refugees and asylum seekers living in Nigeria remain unregistered, leaving them without access to basic services such as food assistance and healthcare, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.
The figures, drawn from the November 2025 UNHCR dashboard, show the unregistered individuals are part of a broader population of about 127,000 refugees and asylum seekers from 41 countries currently in Nigeria.
Most of the unregistered group, nearly 86%, are Cameroonians fleeing prolonged conflict in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon’s North-West and South-West.
Smaller numbers are from Niger, Syria, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The backlog of unregistered refugees has varied over the past year, rising to more than 32,000 in mid-2025 before declining to the current figures.
The persistence of the backlog suggests that new arrivals continue to outpace the capacity of Nigerian authorities to process them, UNHCR data indicates.
Unregistered refugees are not eligible for UNHCR-provided food stipends, cash aid, health insurance schemes and other humanitarian assistance, leaving many in a precarious situation in host communities.
Officials familiar with the registration process said that staff shortages, security restrictions and logistical challenges have slowed enrolment in states with high numbers of arrivals such as Borno, Adamawa and Cross River.
The situation unfolds against a backdrop in which Nigeria continues to host a large population of forcibly displaced people, including millions of internally displaced persons due to ongoing insurgencies in the North-East.
UNHCR and partner agencies are under pressure to expand registration efforts and address gaps in humanitarian assistance, while humanitarian advocates stress the need for sustained support to meet the needs of refugees living in both rural host communities and urban centres.
