Over 2.1 lakh Indians renounced Indian citizenship in 2023: Govt

More than 2.16 lakh Indians renounced their citizenship in 2023, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written response to queries on Indian citizens who have renounced their citizenship in the last five years.

In his response, he also shared the corresponding data for 2011-2018. In 2023, the number of Indians who renounced their citizenship stood at 2,16,219 (2.16 lakh).

The corresponding figure for 2022 was 2,25,620 (2.25 lakh); 1,63,370 (1.63 lakh) in 2021; 85,256 in 2020; and 1,44,017 (1.44 lakh) in 2019, according to the data.

The query from AAP MP Raghav Chadha was also on whether the government had taken steps to find the reasons for such "high number of renunciation" and "low acceptance of Indian citizenship" and, if so, the details thereof.

Chadha also sought to know whether the government had tried to determine the "financial as well as intellectual drainage" and loss to the country because of the high renouncement of citizenship.

"The reasons for renouncing/taking citizenship are personal," the minister said. "The government recognises the potential of the global workplace in an era of a knowledge economy. It has also brought about a transformational change in its engagement with the Indian diaspora."

A "successful, prosperous, and influential diaspora" is an "asset for India", Singh said. "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 potential to its fullest including through sharing of knowledge and expertise."