Close to 9.46 lakh Indians have renounced citizenship in seven years since 2015 and last year saw the highest at 1.63 lakh, an analysis of answers placed by the Ministry of Home Affairs in Parliament in the last two years stated.
On Tuesday, the MHA said in a written answer in Lok Sabha that 1.63 lakh Indians renounced citizenship last year, the highest in seven years, compared to 85,256 in 2020, when Covid-19 had hit the world.
In 2019, the number of Indians who chose to take up citizenship of other countries was 1.44 lakh.
Answers in February and December 2021 showed that 1.41 lakh Indians renounced citizenship in 2015, while it rose to 1.44 lakh the next year and in 2017, it declined to 1.33 lakh. It marginally rose in 2018 to 1.34 lakh.
In December last year, the MHA said, 1,33,83,718 Indian nationals were living in foreign countries.
According to the MHA, the United States was the biggest choice of Indians, as 78,284 chose American citizenship, followed by Australia (23,533) and Canada (21,597).
In 2020 too, the US was the biggest attraction, followed by Canada (17,093) and Australia (13,518). Between 2019 and 2021, Indians have chosen 103 countries to take citizenship.
Individuals renounced citizenship for reasons personal to them, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said.
(Published 19 July 2022, 10:17 IST)
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