225,620 Indians renounced their citizenship in 2022, the most in the previous 12 years, and more than 1.66 million people have done so since 2011, according to data presented by the government in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
The numbers were provided by the minister of external affairs, S. Jaishankar, in a written response to a query from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Narain Dass Gupta, who wanted to know how many Indians had given up their citizenship in the previous three years.
In response, Jaishankar gave year-by-year statistics regarding Indians who have given up their citizenship since 2011.
The annual total varied between 120,000 and 144,000 for the years 2011 through 2019, before dropping to 85,256 in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced most nations to impose travel restrictions.
According to the written response, the number nearly doubled to 163,370 in 2021 and continued to climb to 225,620 in 2022.
In 2011, 122,819 Indians renounced their citizenship, followed by 120,923 in 2012, 131,405 in 2013, 129,328 in 2014, 131,489 in 2015, 141,603 in 2016, 133,049 in 2017, 134,561 in 2018, 144,017 in 2019, 85,256 in 2020, 163,370 in 2021, and 225,620 in 2022, according to data from the external affairs ministry.
A list of 135 nations whose citizenship Indians have earned was also given in the written response. The list, however, did not include particular figures for each nation or indicate the time frame in which these countries gave Indians citizenship.
In response to a particular question from Gupta, Jaishankar stated that five Indian citizens have become citizens of the UAE in the previous three years.
V Muraleedharan, the minister of state for external affairs, stated that particular information on the number of businesspeople and professionals who have relocated abroad over the previous four years is not available in a written response to a different enquiry from Gupta.
The response read, “there are no restrictions on Indian nationals regarding travelling to foreign countries for tourism or employment. Some of them settle down in their country of employment and acquire foreign nationality for personal reasons”.
Muraleedharan claimed that the government’s interaction with the Indian diaspora around the world had undergone a “transformational change.”
According to him, “a successful, prosperous, and influential diaspora 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.”
He added that the government’s initiatives also aim to harness the potential of the diaspora, notably through the transfer of technology and expertise.
