As of 31 December 2018, the total population of concern in Algeria was 99,271, including 90,000 most vulnerable Sahrawi refugees living in five camps in Tindouf and 9,271 refugees and asylum-seekers from different nationalities living in urban areas.
Since 2005, UNHCR has been using the planning figure of 90,000 most vulnerable refugees, and UNHCR and WFP humanitarian assistance based their planning figure on 90,000 most vulnerable refugees plus 35,000 added rations to address the poor nutritional status in the camps, bringing the total to 125,000 WFP food rations. In late 2016, efforts at the field level by the humanitarian community and led by UNHCR, began with the objective of reaching a revised overall population figure drawing on existing sources of reliable information, including sector-specific data.
In 2018, UNHCR updated the estimate of the population figure of Sahrawi in-camp refugees from 90,000 to 173,600. UNHCR has since reverted to the planning figure of 90,000 while acknowledging that humanitarian needs in the camps are estimated to be much higher.
There is free movement between the camps, therefore camp populations are fluid. At the end of 2018, UNHCR led an Inter-Agency multi-sector Vulnerability Assessment (VA) to identify the vulnerability figure as a subset of the total population figure and identify the needs by sector – as well as the planning figure for each sector. This exercise is still ongoing.
With regard to the urban population of concern, as of 31 December 2018, there were 9,271 persons registered with UNHCR, 8,197 refugees (including Syrians who are not being formally recognized as refugees in Algeria) and 1,074 asylum-seekers whose request was pending determination. Compared to 2017, figures of both Syrian refugees (technically only registered by the Office as asylum-seekers) and mainly sub-Saharan refugees identified through mandate RSD, increased in 2018 (8,197 in 2018 compared to 6,317 in 2017). Compared to 2017, there was a 46.5% increase in the number of overall new asylum applications in 2018. The total population of concern in urban areas (asylum-seekers and refugees) increased from 6,609 in 2017 to 9,271 in 2018 (+40%). The current registration backlog is of 1,700 individuals awaiting registration. This increase can be explained by new arrivals in 2018 and systematic arrest and deportation operations undertaken by the Algerian authorities, resulting in persons already living in the country to register with UNHCR. The Office established a resettlement target of 120 refugees for 2019 and 150 in 2020. The total urban population of concern at the end of 2019 is estimated at 10,049. The total estimated population of concern in Algeria at the end of 2019 is 100,049.