Over 2.16 Lakh Indians Renounce Citizenship In 2023: Centre

Concerns about the high citizenship renunciations continue to loom as 2,16,219 Indians moved abroad by renouncing their citizenship in 2023, according to the data provided by the Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. The numbers improved marginally from last year’s figure of 2,25,620 citizenship renunciations.

The MoS also provided the data on citizenship renunciations for every year since 2011 in the reply. A total number of 18,79,659 Indians have moved to foreign countries since 2011. In the last five years, 8,34,482 Indians joined the list of renouncing their citizenship.

MoS provided the data in response to concerns raised by Raghav Chadha, a Rajya Sabha MP. He asked the centre to not only provide data on citizenship renunciations but also share information about the steps that the government has taken to investigate the reasons for such trends.

According to information from the website of the Ministry of External Affairs, the decision to renounce citizenship is a personal choice. The MoS also highlight the focus of the government on leveraging the opportunities presented by the global workplace in an era of the knowledge economy.

Indian government looks to take advantage of a global workforce. The written response from the MoS noted, “A successful, prosperous and influential workforce is an asset for India. India stands to gain a lot from tapping its diaspora networks and productive utilisation of the soft power that comes from having such a flourishing diaspora. The government’s efforts are also aimed at harnessing the diaspora to its fullest including through sharing of knowledge and expertise.”

India is expected to report a net loss of 4,300 millionaires in 2024, as per the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2024. Even though the number is down from last year’s loss of 5,100 millionaires last year, India still continues to be among the top nations to lose high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) on an annual basis. United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the most preferred destination for Indian millionaires, due to its zero income tax policy along with its strategic location.