NEW DELH: More than 2,16,000 Indians renounced their citizenship in 2023, as reported by the government to the

Rajya Sabha

on Thursday.
Kirti Vardhan Singh

, Minister of State for External Affairs, provided this information in a written response regarding the number of

Indian citizens

who have given up their citizenship over the past five years. He also included data from 2011 to 2018.
The specific number of Indians who renounced their citizenship in 2023 was 2,16,219.

In comparison, the figures for previous years were as follows: 2,25,620 in 2022, 1,63,370 in 2021, 85,256 in 2020, and 1,44,017 in 2019.

AAP member Raghav Chadha inquired whether the government had investigated the reasons behind this “high number of renunciations” and the “low acceptance of Indian citizenship.”
He also asked if there had been any assessment of the “financial and intellectual drainage” resulting from the significant number of

citizenship renunciations

.
In response, Singh stated that the motivations for renouncing or acquiring citizenship are personal.

He emphasized the government’s acknowledgment of the global workplace’s potential in today’s knowledge economy and noted the transformative changes in its engagement with the Indian diaspora.
Singh described a “successful, prosperous, and influential diaspora” as an asset for India, highlighting the benefits of leveraging diaspora networks and utilizing the soft power associated with a thriving expatriate community.
He mentioned that the government’s initiatives aim to fully harness this potential, including the sharing of knowledge and expertise.