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Mass Exodus: 2 Million Indians Opt for Foreign Nationality
12 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Nearly 900,000 Indians renounced citizenship in the last five years.
- Over 2 million Indians acquired foreign nationalities between 2011 and 2024.
- Recent years show a sharper rise, with over 215,000 renunciations annually since 2022.
Official data reveals a significant increase in Indians renouncing their citizenship, with nearly 900,000 doing so in the past five years. Over a longer span, from 2011 to 2024, more than 2 million individuals have opted for foreign nationalities. This trend indicates a consistent outward migration rather than a temporary surge.
The Ministry of External Affairs presented figures showing a noticeable acceleration in recent years. Between 2022 and 2024, the average yearly renunciations surpassed 215,000, a figure nearly 150% higher than in 2020. This period marked the first time all three years exceeded 200,000 renunciations.
While the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily slowed this pattern in 2020 due to travel restrictions, the trend quickly resumed. By 2022, renunciations surged, and though numbers slightly decreased in 2023 and 2024, they remained substantially above pre-pandemic levels.
