Nearly 9 lakh Indians gave up citizenship in five years, MEA tells Parliament

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed Parliament on Thursday that a large number of Indians continue to give up their citizenship, with nearly 9 lakh people doing so in the past five years. The data was shared in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.

The Minister said the government keeps annual records of individuals who surrender Indian citizenship. Between 2011 and 2019, 11,89,194 Indians gave up their citizenship.

India has seen more than 20 lakh people give up their citizenship over the past 14 years, according to data shared in Parliament. The figures show a steady rise in the number of Indians opting for foreign nationalities, with the highest annual counts recorded in recent years. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh placed the year-wise numbers before the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Number of Indians Who Renounced Citizenship (2011–2024)

Year	Count
2011	1,22,819
2012	1,20,923
2013	1,31,405
2014	1,29,328
2015	1,31,489
2016	1,41,603
2017	1,33,049
2018	1,34,561
2019	1,44,017
2020	85,256
2021	1,63,370
2022	2,25,620
2023	2,16,219
2024	2,06,378