In many countries, the 'nationality' field in a passport means citizenship, not belonging to an ethnic group
As the weekly magazine Itogi notes, for example, in Tajikistan the 'fifth item' is still filled out as in Soviet times. Mandatorily. However, this is not only common in Asia.
The field has been retained in the passports of citizens of the Republic of Latvia. Although it is filled at the discretion of its holder. Until recently, in Kazakhstan the 'fifth item' was also indicated only at the personal request of the passport holder. After the introduction of new passports in 2009, along with a chip, the mandatory 'nationality' field was somehow brought back to the main document.
The issue of returning the 'fifth item' is regularly raised in Ukraine. In 2009, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Vladimir Litvin came out in favor of its restoration. Earlier, the Lviv Regional Council came up with a similar initiative. Similar proposals appear in Lithuania as well.
In the vast majority of countries far abroad, the 'nationality' field in a passport means citizenship, not belonging to an ethnic group. There are rare exceptions to the rule – for example, in the passports of citizens of Singapore and Israel. However, since the early 2000s, the 'nationality' and 'religion' fields have not been indicated in Israeli passports.