2 mn Indians renounced citizenship since 2011, exits jump 50% post-2019

Parliament data show a post-pandemic rise in citizenship renunciations, alongside fresh details on grievances filed by Indians living overseas

A growing number of Indians are giving up their citizenship, with official data showing that close to 900,000 people renounced it over the last five years. Over a longer period, more than 2 million Indians took up foreign nationalities between 2011 and 2024, reflecting a steady rise in outward mobility rather than a brief spike.

 

The figures were shared by the Ministry of External Affairs in a written reply tabled in Parliament during the Winter Session on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha that the ministry maintains year-wise records of citizenship renunciation and that between 2011 and 2019 alone, 1,189,194 Indians surrendered their citizenship.

 

 

Looking at the numbers over time, the upward movement becomes clearer. Between 2015 and 2024, around 160,000 Indians gave up citizenship each year, compared with roughly 125,000 annually between 2011 and 2014. The rise is sharper in recent years. From 2022 to 2024, yearly renunciations averaged more than 215,000, almost 150 per cent higher than in 2020, with all three years crossing the 200,000 mark for the first time.

 

The pandemic briefly disrupted this pattern. In 2020, the number fell to 85,256 as travel restrictions, consulate closures and processing delays slowed the acquisition of foreign citizenship. The pause proved short-lived. Renunciations picked up in 2021 and surged to 225,620 in 2022. Although the figures eased slightly in 2023 and 2024, they remained well above pre-pandemic levels.

 

Number of Indians who renounced citizenship (2011–2024)

 

206,378 in 2024

216,219 in 2023

225,620 in 2022

163,370 in 2021

85,256 in 2020

144,017 in 2019

134,561 in 2018

133,049 in 2017

141,603 in 2016

131,489 in 2015

129,328 in 2014

131,405 in 2013

120,923 in 2012

122,819 in 2011

 

The ministry clarified that it does not maintain data on the income levels or occupations of those who have surrendered Indian citizenship.

 

What complaints are Indians living abroad raising?

 

In a separate written reply on grievances raised by Indians overseas, the Minister said the ministry received 16,127 complaints during 2024–25. These were filed through the government’s online grievance systems, with 11,195 cases coming through the MADAD portal and 4,932 through CPGRAMS.

 

Saudi Arabia reported the highest number of distress cases at 3,049, followed by the UAE with 1,587 complaints. Other countries reporting large numbers included Malaysia (662), the United States (620), Oman (613), Kuwait (549), Canada (345), Australia (318), the UK (299) and Qatar (289).

 

India has a “robust and multi-channel mechanism” to deal with such grievances, the Minister said, relying on emergency helplines, walk-in facilities, social media outreach and round-the-clock multilingual support. Most cases are resolved through direct contact with complainants, mediation with employers and coordination with local authorities abroad. Delays in a small number of cases, he said, were linked to incomplete information, lack of cooperation from employers and limits on the role of Indian missions when matters are before foreign courts.